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Injury > Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) is defined as damage to
the spinal cord. The spinal cord is essentially the
bundle of nerves that allows the brain to communicate with
the rest of the body. This is accomplished by providing the
main passageway for electrical messages from brain to the
rest of the body. Injury to the spinal cord is a very different
type of injury from a back injury such as a pinched nerve
or a ruptured disc. Whereas a simple back injury may cause
the victim pain and discomfort, a spinal cord injury (SCI)
will often result in a lack of mechanical function or loss
of feeling. A common misconception about SCI is that the spinal
cord must be severed in order to experience any ill effects.
The truth is that most of the 450,000 people in the US. with
SCI have not severed their spinal cord yet still suffer loss
of function from the damage.
There are two main classifications of SCI: complete
and incomplete. A complete spinal cord injury results
in complete loss of function below the level of the injury
symmetrically on both sides of the body. An incomplete spinal
cord injury differs in that there is some functioning below
the level of the injury; often unsymmetrical, resulting in
the victim having feeling in one side of the body and not
the other. Incomplete spinal cord injuries are becoming increasingly
common with the constantly improving treatment technology.
Common causes of spinal cord injuries in Oklahoma
fall into two major categories; those caused by trauma and
those caused by disease. Of the approximately 10,000
new cases of SCI per year, 82% are trauma induced spinal cord
injuries involving males between the ages of 16-30. The main
contributors to trauma induced spinal cord injuries are automobile
accidents, tractor trailer accidents, motorcycle accidents,
sports injuries, falls, and violence. The main diseases that
cause spinal cord injury are spinal bifida, polio, Friedreich's
Disease, and Ataxia.
Currently there is no cure for SCI. However this
does not mean that there is no hope for the victims.
Often the spinal cord is swollen upon the initial injury resulting
in some loss of function. This swelling will usually subside
after a few days up to a few weeks, after which some function
is often recovered. There are also rare cases in which months
or years after the injury the victim will experience some
level of recovery.
If you or a loved one has the hardship of a spinal
cord injury due to the negligence of another,
contact the Oklahoma personal injury attorneys at Atkins &
Markoff. We are experience
spinal cord injury lawyers ready to help you. Please fill
out our contact form or call us
toll free to discuss your situation.
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