Spinal cord injuries can stem from many types of incidents, including car wrecks and on-the-job accidents. Christopher Reeve, who was famous for his role as Superman, suffered a spinal cord injury after falling from a horse in 1995. That accident left him paralyzed from the neck down, but not all spinal cord injuries have that same symptom.
The symptoms and effects of spinal cord injuries vary just as much as the causes of the damage. While some of these are temporary, others are permanent.
Why do spinal cord injury impacts vary?
The location of the injury and the type of damage that’s done to the spinal cord determines how the victim is affected. Injuries that fully severe the spinal nerve pathways are known as complete injuries. Those are always severe. The injuries that don’t have fully severed nerve pathways are known as incomplete, and the victim may eventually somewhat recover.
Spinal cord injuries always affect the area lower than the damaged area of the spinal cord. In Christopher Reeve’s case, for example, an injury in his neck left him ventilator dependent and paralyzed. Injuries at shoulder level and above can lead to paralysis of all four limbs. Those in the mid to lower back can cause paralysis of the lower limbs. In both cases, victims can suffer from mobility issues, infections, sexual dysfunction and more.
People who have spinal cord injuries need intensive medical care to help treat the symptoms. This is a costly undertaking, especially for someone who’s severely injured and unable to work. Those victims might opt to pursue a claim for compensation from the negligent party who caused the injury. New Jersey law has a time limit for filing this type of case, so swift action is critical.