Sometimes, California residents end up hurting their spines when they suffer an injury. People are very worried about spinal cord injuries, and they have every reason to be. Damage to the spinal cord can cause life-altering injuries. The spinal cord controls much of your body, so an injury can severely limit or eliminate your ability to move. The scary thing about some spinal cord injuries is that they’re not always noticeable at first. Knowing the symptoms can make all the difference when it comes to getting treatment in time.
What types of spinal cord injuries are there?
How your body reacts to a spinal cord injury will depend on where on the spine the injury happened and how bad it was. If the injury is complete, it means that all feeling and movement below the injury is lost. If you are able to have some movement and mobility below the injury, it’s referred to as an incomplete injury. If your arms, trunk, hands, pelvic organs and legs are affected by your spinal cord injury, the injury may be referred to as tetraplegia or quadriplegia. If the injury affects all parts of your legs, pelvic organs and trunk, it’s called paraplegia.
What are some symptoms to look out for with spinal cord injuries?
Some symptoms to look out for include an inability to control your bladder or your bowels, spasmodic movements, loss of movement, pain caused by nerve damage in the spinal cord or even difficulty breathing. You should seek emergency care as soon as you get into an accident, and if you see any sudden changes like those mentioned above, you need to see a doctor right away. Stalling treatment could cause permanent loss of movement.
What should a person dealing with a personal injury do?
People who are dealing with financial hardship following a personal injury may benefit by working with an attorney who has experience with these types of cases. The attorney may be able to help with everything from seeking compensation for injuries to getting the right medical care.
