Practically everyone has experienced back pain or discomfort from sleeping in the wrong position or reaching for something that was just too far away. When a California resident tweaks their spine they may suffer from limited mobility, soreness, and other temporary issues that can affect their short-term comfort and capacity to move. However, these fleeting conditions pale in comparison to the serious and life-altering affects that victims of spinal cord injuries face when they are forced to live with accident-related spinal cord damage.
A spinal cord injury can be complete or incomplete. While a complete injury indicates that the victim’s spinal cord was completely severed in their accident, an incomplete injury indicates that the spinal cord was not fully cut. Incomplete spinal cord injuries are serious, however, and can leave victims with pain, numbness, and changes in how the body reacts to and experiences sensations.
Complete spinal cord injuries are associated with paralysis. Paralysis is a serious medical complication that indicates that a victim has lost the ability to move parts of their body. When the spinal cord is severed, a victim will lose the ability to move and control their body below the point of their injury. In the case of a victim whose spinal cord injury occurred in their neck, their paralysis may impact their entire body.
Spinal cord injuries are serious and can leave victims with permanent disabilities. Victims of falls, car accidents, and other personal injury incidents can experience them when they are affected by the negligence of others. Spinal cord injury victims have rights, however, and can sue for the recovery of their accident-related losses.