Causes of Spinal Cord Injury

The spinal cord is the bundle of nerves that goes from your brain to your lower back and is protected by discs and vertebrae which help to keep it from injury. This is a very important bundle of nerves that you use to walk and have bladder control and even breathe so definitely an injury to these nerves is a severe injury. What can cause a spinal cord injury when the cord seems to be so well protected in the back? Actually those protective vertebrae and discs can become dislodged and impinge on the cord or in rare cases, sever the cord.

Then the question becomes what types of trauma cause those vertebrae and discs to become dislodged and swollen. Any back injury has the potential to involve a spinal cord injury. Back injuries can occur on industrial sites, in car accidents, motorcycle accidents, falls, and as many of us have seen, from sports injuries. Football players are wheeled off the field and one of the first things that are assessed is whether or not they have feeling in their legs and extremities. Not to have this feeling would indicate a serious spinal cord injury which in their case could be career ending. This type of injury could also be career ending for the everyday person who is not a pro football player.

A person who has sustained a suspected a spinal cord injury should not be moved by laypeople, but an EMT team should be called that will know how to move the person so as not to create further damage. When in the hospital, the physician will assess the extent of the damage to the spinal cord and where on the cord the impingement has occurred. After a bit of time the physician may be able to determine if the person will walk again, what other bodily functions might be affected and begin to discuss the long rehabilitation period. You or your family should get in touch with the Catastrophic Injury Resource Center as soon as possible to get the support you need. They can direct you to community resources to help you cope with this injury. Also you can speak with legal experts who will discuss whether you are due compensation for yourself and your family for your loss of function and inability to work. While you suffer pain in this situation, your family is also suffering pain, having to deal with caregivers, and the changes in your ability to do many things.

If you or a family member has gone through this type of injury, you need to seek out help from a group like the Catastrophic Injury Resource Center. This group is staffed with people who understand these types of injuries and will help. Please contact them at the Catastrophic Injury Resource Center at 1-800-669-7700 or visit their website at http://www.catastrophicinjury.com for more information.