Spinal Cord Injury and South Carolina Car Accidents
Most people take the normal functioning of their spinal cords for granted, but without it, life would be vastly different. If you can walk, click on your phone screen, or use the toilet, you have your spinal cord to thank. Your spinal cord is responsible for the functioning of every internal and external part of your body from the neck down. Therefore, a spinal cord injury can upend virtually every aspect of your life. If you have suffered a spinal cord injury as a result of a car accident, contact a South Carolina car accident lawyer.
How Do Spinal Cord Injuries Happen?
Along with the brain, the spinal cord is part of the central nervous system. It carries information from the brain to the nerves in every muscle of the body, thus controlling voluntary movement. It also carries information from the nerves to the brain, registering sensations of touch. When a spinal cord injury occurs, it affects all the nerves below the site of the injury. Therefore, a person who suffers a spinal cord injury to their lower back might still have normal function in their arms, even if their legs are paralyzed.
Paralysis only occurs in the most severe cases of spinal cord injury, called complete spinal cord injury. Paralysis means lack of feeling and inability to move the affected body parts. Incomplete spinal injuries can still be devastating, though, even if they do not cause complete paralysis. People with incomplete spinal cord injury may suffer from chronic pain and weakness in the lower body. They may also lose control of their bladder and bowel functions.
The most common cause of spinal cord injury is trauma, including but not limited to fractures of the vertebrae. More spinal cord injuries result from vehicle accidents than from any other cause, but other causes include sports accidents, falls, and gunshot wounds. Damage to the spinal cord can also occur as a complication of some infectious diseases.
Living with Spinal Cord Injury
Despite promising advances in the treatment of spinal cord injury, there is no cure. Getting prompt and appropriate treatment immediately after a traumatic back or neck injury can lessen the damage to the spinal cord. People with spinal cord injury require intensive physical therapy to adjust to life after the accident, and many of them will require a wheelchair or motorized scooter for the rest of their lives.
Even if you have health insurance, the costs of living with a spinal cord injury can be astronomical. Besides physical therapy and medical devices, you may need the help of a home health aide. If you are temporarily or permanently unable to work because of your spinal cord injury, the lost income only adds to your financial worries. A car accident lawyer can help ensure that you get your accident-related expenses covered.
Contact Us Today for Help
If you have enormous medical bills because of a car accident injury, whether or not it involves your spinal cord, you need a Columbia car accident lawyer. Contact The Stanley Law Group for help today.
