Our spinal cord houses a group of nerve fibers linking our brain with different nerves spread around our body. Thus, spinal cord injuries can meddle with sensory signals controlling our muscle movement. Spinal cord injuries may range from minor to severe, depending upon the impact received.

Symptoms Of Spinal Cord Injury

A spinal cord injury can affect three types of signals:

Sensory signals: These are associated with carrying information to our brain. If your sensory signals are affected through a spinal cord injury, you will experience numbness, pain, & a tingling sensation.

Motor signals: The motor signals travel to your muscles from your brain. You are mostly likely to experience paralysis, weakness & spasticity of muscles if spinal cord injury affects your motor signals.

Automatic signals: These signals control involuntary processes like blinking our eyes or gulping down water. Impaired signals might disrupt blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, erectile dysfunction, and fecal or urinary incontinence.

Causes Of Spinal Cord Injury

• Being involved in a motor vehicle crash.
• Falling either from a stool or the stairs.
• Being subjected to violence, like being beaten with any object or sustaining bullet wounds that might have ruptured your spine.
• On sustaining a heavy fall while playing sports.
• Medical conditions like osteoporosis and osteopenia cause our bones to become brittle and break easily.
• Getting electrocuted when electric current travels near or along your spinal cord.

Ways To Diagnose A Spinal Cord Injury

• A healthcare expert will first schedule a physical exam to analyze your condition and determine the extent of the injury.
• They might prescribe a neurological exam if necessary. During this test, your specific abilities will be inspected. You will be asked to move your limbs and your reflexes and sensation will be checked.
• You might be prescribed imaging scans like MRI and CT. The former takes more time and delivers detailed images of soft tissues, bones, nerves, etc. CT scan, on the other hand, provides faster results and is highly prescribed in emergencies.
• Your doctor might also prescribe diagnostic tests like nerve conduction and electromyography. These tests measure electric signals that reach your muscles to locate any spinal cord or nerve damage that might interfere with the same.

Treatment Options

• Medications
• Surgery
• Support devices like braces, splints & halos
• Getting neuroprotective or neurogenerative treatments
• Occupational or physical therapy
• Mental healthcare
• Speech therapy

Conclusion

If you believe that the spinal cord injury suffered by you was due to the fault of others, then you can seek your rightful compensation by filing a claim. Legal experts at CHANCE, FORLINES, CARTER & KING, PC can guide you through the process, gather the necessary evidence, and build a solid case for faster claim settlement.