Paralysis Due to Catastrophic Injuries- What To Do

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Who thought you would end up in a wheelchair because another person rammed into your car while driving home from work?

Catastrophic injuries like paralysis are devastating and significantly impact the sufferer and their near and dear ones.

No one wants to be restricted to the wheelchair with their mobility affected. And It’s not easy for loved ones to look after someone bedridden.

You couldn’t do anything to prevent the accident.

It just happened.

However, you can at least do something to improve your life both financially and mentally.

All About Spinal Cord Injuries

The spinal cord is a very delicate body part; any damage to it can lead to some form of paralysis. Living with the injury is not at all easy. Frequently, depending on the injury, you may need 24-hour care, additional procedures, or physical therapy.

Spinal cord injuries depend on the injury severity and which part of the spine was affected.

While no two injuries are similar, most spinal cord injuries will affect your day-to-day life. So, your doctor is the best person to assess and discuss the changes it makes to the body.

Types of Spinal Cord Injuries

There are four main types of spinal cord injuries:

  1. Anterior cord syndrome where the front of the spinal cord is damaged. It most commonly exhibits loss of sensation below the injury point.
  2. Central cord syndrome with damage to the middle of the spinal cord. It includes loss of function to arms and possibly legs.
  3. Posterior cord syndrome involves damage to the back of the spinal cord leading to coordination difficulties.
  4. Brown-Seward syndrome, where one side of the spinal cord is damaged, and its mobility is affected

Besides the types of spinal cord injuries, paralysis also exists in different types and degrees. While physical therapy usually helps regain some mobility in most cases, it depends on the wound.

Common Causes of Paralysis

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Different types of accidents may lead to paralysis like:

  • Sports-related
  • Trampoline
  • On-the-job
  • Slip and fall
  • Medical errors
  • Horseback riding
  • Defective products
  • Pedestrian and bicycle
  • Vehicular

Paralysis Types

  • Monoplegia involving one limb
  • Hemiplegia affecting the arm and leg of one bodyside
  • Paraplegia affecting both legs and lower body portions
  • Quadriplegia affecting arms, legs, chest muscles, and abdominal area
  • Spasticity leading to tight and stiff muscles
  • Dysphagia affecting the throat muscles

The Most Severe Forms of Paralysis

Quadriplegia is the most severe paralysis form.

Both arms and legs are paralyzed, and the abdominal and chest muscles are affected. C1 and C2 are the two most severe levels of paralysis. And injuries classified C4 and above need a mechanical ventilator or some breathing assistance.

Paraplegia is paralysis of the legs occurring when the first thoracic vertebrae of the upper back are injured. Sometimes the injury may also affect the abdomen and pelvic area movement.

So, patients suffering from paraplegia can use their hands and arms but are typically confined to a mobility device like a wheelchair.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Traumatic brain injury needn’t indicate paralysis of the spinal cord; it’s just that both injuries generally occur together. For example motorcycle, pedestrian, and car accident victims may suffer from both a TBI and spinal cord injury.

These victims have to live without the full use of their limbs while suffering from injuries affecting their cognitive skills. Furthermore, they thus require physical therapy with regular mental health appointments, making things catastrophic for the victim’s family to handle.

How Spinal Cord Injuries Affect Your Life

Based on the type and severity, spinal cord injuries can have a lifelong impact on the victim’s daily life. So, severe injuries can leave the victim with a need for 24-hour care.

Seek Help from Your Glendale Personal Injury Attorney

Physical therapy and care may not help you regain movement in the limbs immediately. However, you can at least seek to receive your rightfully deserved compensation for this suffering for no reason of yours.

With a long and confusing claim process, you need help to make a claim. Furthermore, your personal injury lawyer in Glendale is the best person to turn to for this assistance.

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