Veterans groups and spinal cord injury organizations are marking the month of September as Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month to bring more attention and awareness to the challenges faced by the thousands of Americans who live with these debilitating personal injuries.
Spinal cord personal injuries occur when there is any kind of damage to the spinal cord as a result of a trauma to the spine such as through a car accident or fall. These personal injuries can cause a number of effects that are often not just physical, but also emotional and psychological in nature. The impact of a spinal cord injury can depend on the location of the injury as well as its severity. Depending on the location of the injury, the person may no longer be able to enjoy movement of his hands and legs. In a complete spinal cord injury, the patient may lose sensation below the location of the spinal injury, while in an incomplete spinal injury, the patient may feel some degree of sensation and enjoy some movement in the area below the site of the spinal injury. The degree of sensation and movement can differ depending on other factors.
A spinal cord injury can result in loss of movement, and loss of sensation or the ability to differentiate between hot and cold. Other effects include respiratory difficulties, frequent coughing and difficulty breathing, pain and stinging sensation in the affected areas as well spasms. The patient may experience significant loss of bladder and bowel control.
There are other effects of a spinal cord injury that can significantly alter a person’s quality of life. For instance, there may be an impact on sexual function and spinal cord injuries can, in some cases, result in complete loss of sexual function or infertility. Inability to control bladder and bowel moments can also cause emotional trauma. Consequences like loss of sexual dysfunction can result in depression.
There is no complete cure for a spinal cord injury, but researchers still remain hopeful about finding ways to repair damage. However, there have been several significant breakthroughs made in the field of spinal cord injury rehabilitation, and these breakthroughs have meant a better quality of life for patients living with these personal injuries. According to the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, approximately 300,000 Americans live with spinal cord injuries with 18,000 more joining those ranks every year.
Victims of spinal cord injuries may require not just immediate medical treatment, hospitalization, surgeries and long term medications, but also rehabilitative therapies, rehabilitative aids as well as modifications to the home and vehicle and other accommodations. Many of these accommodations are expensive, which is why it is important to account for all of these expenses at the time of filing your claim for damages.
The Atlanta car accident lawyers at Katz Personal Injury Lawyers are dedicated to the representation of persons who have suffered spinal cord injuries in auto accidents in the metro Atlanta region and across the state of Georgia. The Atlanta car accident lawyers at Katz Personal Injury Lawyers are dedicated to the representation of persons who have suffered spinal cord injuries in auto accidents in the metro Atlanta region and across the state of Georgia. If you or a loved one have suffered injuries in an auto accident, talk to an attorney at our firm and discuss your legal options for a claim for damages.