A spinal cord injury can come from a variety of incidents, including things like automobile crashes and slip-and-fall accidents. When this type of catastrophic injury occurs, there is a plethora of information given in the initial days that can be very difficult to retain and process.
If you have suffered a spinal cord injury or have a loved one who did, the medical care team is a good source of information. There are some points that are universal but many are individualized according to the situation.
Location, type and severity of the injury
The location of the injury, the type and the severity are all factors that impact a person’s recovery. This might not be readily noticeable in the first days because of the spinal shock. Once swelling and inflammation go down, the victim may begin to have more function. This is more common in incomplete injuries than complete injuries.
An incomplete injury involves damage to the spinal cord that hasn’t completely severed the nerves. A person with this type of injury will still have some use and feeling below the level of the injury. A complete injury involves a severing of the nerves, which will take away all feeling and function below the damaged area.
The location of the issue matters because anything below it can be negatively impacted. For example, an injury in the neck might impact the arms, but one in the lower back won’t.
Recovery is lengthy
In almost all cases, recovery for a spinal cord injury is going to take a while. It is going to be difficult and will take work. If you are able to give it your full effort, you might be able to recover to the fullest extent possible. What this means exactly depends on the circumstances, including your body’s ability to heal. If you aren’t going to recover function, you will have to work on finding ways to cope with the new limitations.
During the healing process, you will likely be restricted on activity, which can make it difficult to impossible to earn a living. With the increase in medical expenses and the decrease in income, money may be tight. Seeking compensation from the party or parties liable for the accident that led to your problem may be essential since it could relieve some of that burden if it is successful.