7 Obstacles People With SCIs Face for Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month
A spinal cord injury (SCI) damages the connection between the brain and the rest of the body, leading to long-term and even permanent complications. SCI can cause you to experience many health problems and other limitations in your daily life. Unfortunately, most SCIs are caused by preventable situations, including car accidents, falls, motorcycle accidents, and workplace accidents. That’s why, after suffering a spinal cord injury, you’d want to understand how it will affect your life and how you can receive compensation from those at fault.
Technically, spinal cord injuries are the most damaging. They affect not only the victims, but also their families, friends, and loved ones. You might find yourself struggling with various medical conditions and obstacles for the rest of your life due to someone else’s negligence. That’s why when dealing with cases involving spinal cord injuries, personal injury attorneys at Mintz Law Firm will consider the long-term or future effects of the spinal cord injury to ensure you get the best compensation possible.
7 obstacles people with spinal cord injuries have to overcome
A spinal cord injury is an overwhelming, isolating, traumatic event that can affect every aspect of your life. Here are some of the challenges experienced by people with SCIs:
Chronic Pain
Since SCI damages the nerve fibers in your spinal cord, the pain may persist for many years after the injury. This chronic pain can cause emotional discomfort and functional disability, and it can negatively affect your quality of life.
Infection Risks
People with SCIs often lose control of their affected body parts. Since these areas are more susceptible to infections, you might have to deal with various ailments, including urinary tract infections, kidney stones, and pneumonia. These infectious diseases can lead to damaged organs, which means prolonged hospital stays and higher medical bills.
Muscle Spasticity
Muscle spasticity involves uncontrollable spasms or twitches that happen when your muscles contract. A spinal cord injury can invoke sudden exaggerated spasticity that causes hyperactive reflexes, muscle tightness during activity, and sudden involuntary bending or straightening of muscles. This makes it difficult to control your movement, relax, or even stretch your muscles.
Depression
Depression is the most common psychological problem that people with SCIs have to deal with. Trying to adapt to the changes caused by a spinal cord injury can significantly affect a person’s mental health. They may feel hopeless, sad, anxious, and even have suicidal thoughts during the adjustment period. In some cases, clinical depression can also develop.
Osteoporosis and Bone Loss
Osteoporosis is a condition that weakens bones. After an SCI, a patient will experience osteoporosis caused by severe bone loss, making their bones prone to fractures. This condition can develop within two years of the injury and continue for the rest of their lives.
Circulatory and Respiratory Issues
People with SCI have a high risk of developing circulatory complications and associated long-term effects. You could have abnormal heart rates, low or high blood pressure, and blood clots. SCI also leads to an impairment of the respiratory system. You may experience difficulty breathing, coughing, or clearing secretions from your lungs. In some severe cases, SCI patients may require assisted ventilation.
Paralysis
Paralysis is the most devastating effect of a spinal cord injury. With the spinal cord controlling communication between the brain and the rest of the body, paralysis affects any body part below the injured point.
Generally, the pain and suffering from an SCI are often permanent. A spinal cord injury attorney at Mintz Law Firm can review your records to help you determine all your losses, including future ones.
Let an Experienced Colorado Spine Injury Attorney at Mintz Law Firm Help You
Spinal cord injuries are some of the most catastrophic injuries a person can suffer. They’ll have a lifelong impact on one’s quality of life, affecting them physically, mentally, and financially. Sadly, this type of life-changing injury mainly results from someone else’s negligence. To add insult to injury, seeking compensation for these SCI damages can be pretty complicated. That’s why hiring a spine injury attorney is useful.
As a leading Colorado personal injury law firm, lawyers at Mintz Law Firm understand the devastating effects of SCIs. Therefore, if you or your loved one has suffered a spinal cord injury due to someone’s negligence, we can help you get the compensation needed to readjust to life following the incident. You can begin your personal injury lawsuit against the liable party immediately by scheduling a free, no-obligation consultation. Fill out our contact form or call us at (303) 462-2999 today.