A spinal cord injury: The types you could face
After a spinal cord injury, you may believe that you’ll have little or no feeling at all in the affected parts of your body. The truth is that not all cases of spinal cord injuries are the same. There are two kinds of spinal cord injuries including complete and incomplete injuries.
The differences between these injury types are important to understand. Depending on which type of injury you have, you could have paralysis, pain or other symptoms. The outcome of your recovery may also be affected depending on the type of injury you’ve suffered.
Complete spinal cord injuries
Complete spinal cord injuries occur when the nerves are completely cut off from one part of the spinal cord to another. A complete injury results in no feeling or movement below the point of the injury. For example, if you have suffered a complete injury at the L5 level, you may no longer be able to move your legs.
Complete spinal injuries often do not heal. If they do heal at all, it’s within the first few hours and days of injury and with the help of medications and treatments. Some recovery may take place with newer technologies that are still being explored today.
Incomplete spinal cord injuries
As the name suggests, incomplete spinal injuries do not completely cut off the nerves between one portion of the spine and another. Depending on the severity of the injury, you could be affected in a number of ways. A minor incomplete injury could result in numbness or tingling in the affected limbs, for instance, while a more severe incomplete injury may cause pain and weakness.
This kind of injury can take place at any location along the spine, which means it could affect nearly your entire body if it takes place along the cervical spine or could impact only one side of your body or your lower body if it takes place closer to the pelvic area.
After an injury like this, prompt medical treatment is key. Your attorney can help you seek out the compensation you need, so you can continue to get the treatments that can help you.
