Georgia Injury Law Blog
New research focuses on the use of infrared light therapy to help reduce the impact of a spinal injury soon after it occurs.
Spinal cord personal injuries are some of the most devastating injuries, and often occur in auto accidents, motorcycle accidents and pedestrian and bicycle accidents. There is no complete cure for a spinal injury. However, millions of dollars are being invested in research into circumventing or limiting the impact of spinal cord personal injuries. Some of this research focuses on interventions that can limit damage during the early hours after the personal injury.
Recently, researchers using a grant by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health announced that they are in the process of testing an infrared tool that can help reduce the activity of mitochondria cells after an injury. According to the researchers, a lot of the long term impact of a spinal injury can be limited if interventions are made immediately or within a few hours after the injury. As soon as a spinal injury occurs, the mitochondria cells go into overdrive, creating large amounts of free radicals, and increasing cell damage in the area. According to the researchers, it is therefore important to limit the activity of the mitochondria soon after the spinal injury.
The researchers currently have a patent for the infrared light therapy, and are looking at using the same therapy to work on mitochondria cells soon after a spinal injury. The technology was created for other uses and the researchers believe that it can be effectively used due to limit damage after a spinal cord injury.
A person who has suffered a spinal cord injury may be staring at a life that is markedly different from the life that he led before the injury. There may be limited movement and mobility, and this can mean a limited or completely depleted ability to work and earn a living. Depending on the location of the spinal injury, there may be varying degrees of paralysis. There may be a serious impact on his or her ability to control bowel and bladder movements. Sexual function may be affected, and there may be psychological consequences of the injury as well. Depression, for instance, is a common consequence after a spinal injury.
An auto accident claim after a person suffers a spinal cord injury must include compensation for not just medical expenses and lost income as a result of the personal injury, but also the long term loss of earnings, pain and suffering, emotional damages and other types of damages.
The Atlanta auto accident lawyers at Katz Personal Injury Lawyers are dedicated to the representation of persons who have suffered injuries in car accidents in the metro Atlanta region and across the state of Georgia. If you or a loved one have suffered injuries in a car accident, talk to a lawyer at our firm and discuss your legal options for a claim for damages. You may qualify for compensation that includes medical costs, lost income and other forms of damages. Talk to an attorney at our firm and discuss your case. Initial consultations are free.