The Challenges a Person With an Injured Spinal Cord Will Face

A spinal cord injury (SCI) happens when the thick bundle of nerves running down your back gets damaged. This injury can range from mild to severe, and it can happen in different parts of the spine. Depending on where the injury is, it can affect the ability to feel, move, or control certain parts of your body.

For example, an injury higher up in the neck area can affect everything below it, even making it hard to breathe on your own. If the injury is lower down, it might only affect your legs. Either way, this isn’t something you can just walk off.

The challenges you’ll face as a result of an SCI can be life-changing. Only a lawyer who understands the value of a spinal cord injury lawsuit can help you get the compensation you deserve.

Types of Spinal Cord Injuries

There are two main ways to describe these injuries: by their location on the spine and by their severity.

• By Location: The spinal cord has four main sections: cervical (neck), thoracic (upper back), lumbar (lower back), and sacral (tailbone area). Damage in the cervical spine is the most serious because it can cause paralysis from the neck down (called tetraplegia). Damage lower down usually affects the legs and lower body (paraplegia).
• By Severity: Some injuries are incomplete, meaning some nerve signals can still get through. Others are complete, where no signals can pass at all.

What Challenges Does a Person with a Spinal Cord Injury Face?

Here’s what life is like for the 15 million people living with SCI globally:

Physical Limitations

For someone with an SCI, moving around can become a big challenge. If the injury is high up in the neck, it might cause tetraplegia; lower injuries might cause paraplegia, where only the lower body is affected.

Simple things like standing up, picking up a glass, or even scratching your nose could require help or special tools. Because of this weakness or complete loss of muscle control, the victim will typically have to rely on wheelchairs or mobility devices.

Sensory Changes

A spinal cord injury can mess with how someone feels touch, temperature, or even pain. Some people even develop nerve pain, which can feel like burning or stabbing, even when nothing is physically happening to the affected area.

Autonomic Issues

Your body handles a lot of things automatically, like keeping your heart beating or helping you digest food. After a spinal cord injury (SCI), some of those systems can stop working right.

For example, standing up quickly might make you feel dizzy or even faint because of low blood pressure. Your body might also struggle to stay warm or cool. Going to the bathroom can get tricky too because your bladder and bowel control might not work the way it used to.

Mental and Emotional Struggles

Adjusting to life with an SCI can be emotionally crushing. Imagine waking up one day and realizing you can’t walk anymore, or you need help with basic things like getting dressed. Depression and anxiety are common, not just because of the physical challenges, but also because of the drastic lifestyle changes.

Health Complications

An SCI can cause health complications as well. Sitting or lying down too long can lead to pressure sores. Using catheters makes bladder infections more likely.

Not moving much increases the risk of blood clots in your legs or lungs. And if your injury is high up in your spine, even breathing might be hard, sometimes requiring a ventilator.