Robert E. Cartwright Personal Injury Law Blog on Lawyers.com

The spinal cord is a thick, whitish cord of nerve cell tissue originating at the base of the brain. The brain, spinal cord, and spinal nerves form the central nervous system.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) occurs when there is damage to the nerve cells of the spinal cord, or to any of the 31 nerve cell pairs that branch along the spinal column. Spinal cord injuries also result from damage to tissue, bone or blood vessels surrounding the spinal cord. Spinal injury reduces, or eliminates, communication between the brain and the parts of the body served by the area of damaged spinal cord.

Symptoms of spine injuries are dependent on where the spinal cord is traumatized. Back injuries to the spinal column near the neck can result in:

• Difficulty breathing
• Difficulty or loss of bladder control or bowel function
• Paralysis, numbness, inability, or difficulty moving arms and legs
• Weakness, difficulty with, or change in sensory abilities
• An increase in muscle tone causing severe muscle spasms

Back injury in the thoracic area can result in symptoms similar to those listed above, but may also include difficulties maintaining body temperature, and blood pressure. Similar symptoms occur with lower back, or lumbar injuries, but lower level spinal cord injuries primarily affect the area beneath the level of spinal injury, including the legs.

Common treatment of spinal cord injuries

Spinal injuries are an immediate medical emergency. Encased in vertebrae, the spinal cord is damaged when trauma sends splinters of vertebrae into the spinal cord, severing or compressing nerve cells. As the central pathway for communication between the brain and the body, damage to the spinal cord can interrupt or arrest sensory and motor function after a spinal injury.

The first aim of treatment with spine injuries is the reduction of inflammation or swelling that might compress the spinal cord. Oftentimes, corticosteroids such as dexamethasone or methylprednisolone are quickly administered after spinal cord injury.

Surgery to reduce pressure on the spinal cord, by removal of bone, foreign fragments, or fluid is often the next treatment of a spine injury. Vertebrae may be fused or supported with rods and other hardware to stabilize the back injury.

After surgery, bed rest and spinal traction are recommended to assist mending the bones of the back by taking body weight off healing vertebrae.

Back injuries are often treated with physical therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) to assist the injured person in regaining mobility and in coping with their disability. Treatment and medications are also available for management of pain, skin conditions, spasticity, and the bowel and bladder dysfunction that often accompanies spinal cord injuries.

Contact a spinal cord law firm that can help

We focus our practice on protecting the legal rights of individuals who have suffered a spinal cord injury.  Contact The Cartwright Law Firm, Inc., a spinal cord injury law firm via email or call us today at 888-351-8460 or 415-433-0444 for a free consultation. We can help.

The Cartwright Law Firm, Inc.
222 Front Street, 5th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94111
(415) 433-0444