People who suffer from a spinal cord injury due to a traumatic event often have a long healing process. They may wonder what kind of life they’re going to have after the injury. This isn’t something that’s easy to determine.
There are two factors that can have major impacts on a person’s ability to heal from the injury and the area of the body that’s affected. Understanding these factors may help them as they’re trying to learn more about their injury.
Location of the damage
The location of the damage on the spinal cord is a primary factor in what areas of the body are impacted by the injury. The effects of this type of injury always occur below where the damage is. This means that a larger part of the body will be affected by an injury higher on the spine than what will occur if there’s damage lower on the spine.
Severity of nerve severing
Spinal cord injuries are either complete or incomplete. The nerves in a complete injury are fully severed at the site of the injury. An incomplete injury means that there are still some nerves intact at the injury site. Typically, the likelihood of improved functioning in the affected areas is better in an incomplete injury than in a complete injury.
Victims who suffer a spinal cord injury because of the negligence of another person may opt to pursue a compensation claim. This can help to cover their medical care and other treatment that they need to address the injury. It may also help to pay for other related expenses, such as modifications of the home or vehicle, as well as missed wages.