Car wrecks can lead to some very serious injuries. One of these is a spinal cord injury, which can result in permanent paralysis and other health complications. Understanding a bit about these injuries may help victims and their family members as they try to navigate through the changes that come.
Spinal cord injuries affect the area of the body below the injury. This means that a lower back injury will affect the legs, but not the arms. A neck injury will likely affect the arms and legs. Other bodily systems can also be affected.
Type of spinal cord injury
All spinal cord injuries are classified as either complete or incomplete. A complete injury means that all the nerves at the site of the damage were severed. This type of spinal cord injury has a less favorable chance of a full recovery.
An incomplete injury means that there were still some nerve pathways connected at the site of the injury. Because of the nerves, this type of spinal cord injury is more likely to have a better recovery than a complete injury.
In some instances, spinal shock directly impacts how the spinal cord handles the injury. Spinal shock causes inflammation in the spinal cord that can lead to the injury seeming much more serious than it truly is. As the inflammation abates, some abilities will improve.
Anyone involved in a crash should have a medical evaluation if they think something is amiss. Seeking compensation for injuries is important so these victims don’t end up having to cover the cost of the wreck themselves. There’s only a limited time to do this in Georgia, so be sure you get started right away.