- August 30, 2023
- Personal Injury
Spinal cord injuries are some of the most life-altering types of injuries that can happen to a person. When the spinal cord is injured, the damage can interfere with normal motor, sensory or autonomic functioning and produce changes in strength, sensation and other body functions below the site of the injury. As a result, Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI) may leave victims partially or totally paralyzed and unable to work or function, and even result in death.After a spinal cord injury, the effects can be temporary or permanent, but they are bound to cause changes in your life that you need to adjust to. Understanding what is involved can help you accept your new “normal,” prevent depression and anxiety, and increase your independence and quality of life.
How Does a Spinal Cord Injury Affect Your Life?
There are many types and degrees of spinal cord injuries, and the extent of the disability and effects on your life will vary accordingly. According to the Mayo Clinic, the ability to function after a spinal cord injury depends on two factors: where the injury occurred on your spinal cord and the severity and completeness of injury.
The spinal cord is a soft column of tightly bundled nerve cells that runs all along the back, starting from the head and neck all the way to the tailbone, and it is the path of communication between the brain and all parts of the body. When a spinal cord injury occurs, any number of muscles, ligaments, bones, and nerves could be affected. Depending on which area of the spine is damaged, the injury could affect different parts of the body.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) states that there are four types of SCIs -- cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral, depending on where the injury occurs along the spinal cord. In general, the higher in the spinal column the injury occurs, the greater the effects on the person, as damage can prevent signals to and from the brain and cause loss of sensation, movement, strength, and body functions below the site of injury. An injury in the cervical area, which is high on the spinal cord, can cause paralysis in most of your body and affect all limbs (called tetraplegia or quadriplegia). An injury in the lumbar or sacral areas, which are lower injury on the spinal cord, may just affect your legs and lower body (called paraplegia) and allow you to use your arms and hands.
How an SCI affects your life depends a great deal on the symptoms you are suffering. Depending on the location and nature of your injury, symptoms you may experience include:
- Difficulty controlling bladder or bowels
- Difficulty with sexual function and fertility
- Pain at the site of the injury, or phantom pain that radiates elsewhere
- Gastrointestinal problems
- Difficulty breathing
- Skin problems, especially bedsores
- Partial or full paralysis
- Infections
- Frequent cases of pneumonia
- Weakness or inability to move any part of the body
- Unnatural positions of the spine or head.
These changes might interfere with your career or prevent you from working and impact your personal and sexual life. You may need assistance with the basic activities of daily living, such as feeding, dressing, bathing, and going to the bathroom. Physical limitations could prevent you from participating in sports and activities you once enjoyed, and if the spinal cord injury affected your sexual function or your fertility, you might no longer be able to have a family. This could significantly affect your relationships and quality of life and could cause emotional or mental issues.
In addition, treating a spinal cord injury is usually extremely expensive due to doctor’s visits, surgeries, medications, physical therapies, and other treatments. You may also have to remodel parts of your home and purchase a new vehicle to better accommodate your injuries, especially if the injury left you paralyzed or limited to a wheelchair.
Adjusting to Life After a Spinal Cord Injury
Despite the difficulties a spinal cord injury may cause, it is possible to adjust to life after an injury, and build a satisfying existence. People who adjust well have good positive attitudes, become comfortable with their self-image, learn to manage self-care, and come to realize they are still the same person. They may re-think personal values and what is most important in their life. They may work at rehabilitation and learn how to do activities differently and discover how best to manage daily routines.
To help adjust to a spinal injury, the Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center suggests the following:
- Develop an effective coping strategy to overcome challenges and setbacks.
- View the SCI as a challenge and see the potential for personal growth to make life better.
- Accept that the SCI has happened and decide to live with it.
- Seek purpose and meaning. Think about what you want in life and set the goals you want to achieve.
- Utilize rehabilitation services. These combine physical therapies with skill-building activities and counseling to provide social and emotional support and increase independence and quality of life. The rehabilitation team, often led by a doctor specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation (physiatrist), may include social workers, physical and occupational therapists, recreational therapists, rehabilitation nurses, rehabilitation psychologists, vocational counselors, nutritionists, a case worker, and other specialists.
- Utilize adaptive devices. Adaptive devices may help people with spinal cord injury to regain independence and improve mobility and quality of life. For some individuals, mobility will only be possible with assistive or adaptive devices such as a walker, leg braces, or a wheelchair. Communication skills such as writing, typing, and using the telephone may also require adaptive devices. Some people may need a wheelchair, electronic stimulators, assisted training with walking, devices that may stimulate the nerves to restore lost functions, computer adaptations, and other computer-assisted technology.
- Use resources to make your life better. There are many organizations, agencies and community resources that help, including:
- Job Accommodation Network (askjan.org) for guidance on workplace accommodations and disability employment issues.
- Independent Living Research Utilization (ilru.org) lists Centers for Independent Living and Independent Living Councils, and helps with accessibility, access to community services and transition to community-based living.
- The Disability Services webpage on the USA.gov web site (https://www.usa.gov/disability-services) offers information on disability programs and services.
Get Help from Our Spinal Cord Injury Accidents Attorney
According to the National Library of Medicine, nearly a third of SCIs are caused by automobile accidents, and a quarter from falls. If you or a loved one suffered a spinal cord injury due to another party’s negligence or fault, the Michigan Spinal Cord Injury Lawyers at Goodman Acker can help you seek justice and compensation from the liable party.
When negligence is involved, compensation for spinal injury victims can be substantial. While each case is different and depends on the circumstances, a successful spinal injury lawsuit can bring an award that covers your monetary costs and losses from the accident, in additional to compensation for your non-economic damages that do not have a specific dollar value, but negatively impact quality of life, such as physical and emotional pain and suffering.
With our more than 150+ combined years of experience, our skilled and experienced legal team will handle all investigations, negotiations, legal hurdles, and requirements needed to help get you the settlement you deserve. Call us today at 248-286-8100 for a free, no-obligation consultation with our trusted and compassionate attorneys.
GET HELP NOW 248-286-8100