Understanding the Effects of a Spinal Cord Injury in Louisville

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Many accident victims who are diagnosed with a spinal cord injury do not know what they can expect in the future. Will they regain any movement in their legs? Will they be able to have children? And how will they be able to earn a living if they are unable to walk?

The answers to these questions depend largely on the location of your injury. Severe trauma to the spinal cord can cause numbness, sensory problems, and partial or even total loss of mobility. The best indictor of the extent of your injury is at what point on your spine the injury occurred. Generally speaking, the higher up the injury takes place, the greater the effects a victim will suffer. 

Here are three common outcomes of spinal cord injury in Kentucky:

  • Total paralysis. If a victim’s spinal cord has been crushed or severed, the patient will lose all sensory and functional ability (also known as a complete injury). These injuries typically occur in the cervical spine at the back of the neck, between the C1 and C3 vertebrae. A complete spinal cord injury will often leave a patient unable to move, speak, or even breathe on his own, requiring permanent medical care. 
  • Quadriplegia. A slightly lower injury (between the C4 and C7 vertebrae) may result in loss of function in the arms and legs. Victims may be able to breathe, speak, and move their eyes, but unable to control the rest of their bodies. This condition, known as quadriplegia, often causes a victim to lose sensation below the injury site and the ability to control bodily functions.
  • Paraplegia. A severe injury to the lower spine may result in paraplegia, or paralysis of the lower extremities. Victims are often fully functional above the injury site, and can even regain some lost mobility with the use of a wheelchair. Still, victims cannot walk independently and may experience sexual difficulties.

In addition to the pain and indignity of their situation, many victims have found that their insurance coverage will not even begin to cover the costs of their injury. If this is the case, your best hope of getting the treatment you need is by filing a Louisville personal injury case against the person responsible for your suffering.

Call the attorneys at Gray and White today at (800) 634-8767 or fill out the contact form on the top of this page to begin your FREE, one-on-one consultation.