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Spinal Cord Paralysis

Spinal cord paralysis is damage to the spinal cord that causes a partial or total loss of muscle and sensory functions. The spinal cord does not need to be severed for paralysis to occur. The location of the spinal cord injury dictates what muscle and sensory functions are affected and the degree of injury (complete or incomplete) dictates how much (if any) function remains.

The importance of recouping any financial compensation you may be entitled to if you are paralyzed should not be underestimated. Paralysis victims face a lifetime of medical care, rehabilitation, assistive care and other substantial expenses. In addition, paralysis victims often have a reduction or total loss of earning power following their injury — more than 25 percent of households that include a person who has had their spinal cord paralyzed make less than $10,000 a year.

If you or a loved one has spinal cord paralysis, you may wish to consult an attorney who specializes in negotiating settlements and filing personal injury lawsuits to initiate a potential claim. Family members of victims with spinal cord injuries are advised to speak with a wrongful death attorney about filing a lawsuit, and/or with a family attorney regarding wills, estate law, and other family matters.

Causes of Spinal Cord Paralysis

The spinal cord is made up of a bundle of nerves that carry information to and from the muscles, organs and tissues of the body to the brain. It is protected by 33 vertebrae, and by soft tissue. Injury to the spinal cord or surrounding tissues can result in spinal cord paralysis. The mechanisms of spinal cord injury are:

  • Blunt trauma from car accidents, sports injuries and falls that fracture, dislocate, crush or compress vertebrae or cause surrounding soft tissues to herniate into the spinal cord, thereby causing impingement syndrome (entrapment of the spinal cord, which can cause paralysis)
  • Penetrating injuries such as gunshots or stab wounds that penetrate or cut the spinal cord
  • Secondary swelling, bleeding, inflammation and fluid accumulation in and around the spinal cord
  • Non-traumatic injuries from infection, disease or inflammatory processes such as multiple sclerosis, transverse mellitus, and spinal cord tumors

Paralyzing events, especially those involving penetrating injuries or blunt trauma, are often the result of someone else's negligent or criminal actions. You may be entitled to compensation in the form of a settlement or court award. Contact a personal injury attorney to learn more about your legal rights.

Pressure Sores

Patients who have spinal cord injuries are at risk for developing pressure sores. Pressure sores are areas of dead or dying skin that result from blood loss, most commonly from laying on one bony area for an extended period of time. Pressure sores can take days, weeks, or even months to heal and, in serious cases, can result in amputation or even death.

If you have been paralyzed, you may be unable to feel pressure sores developing. It is very important that you change your position regularly to allow blood to circulate throughout pressured areas. If you suspect you have a pressure sore it is best to seek medical attention as soon as possible.

Level and Degree of Injury

The spinal cord and its branches are comprised of upper and lower motor neurons. The upper motor neurons carry messages back and forth from the brain to the spinal nerves along the spinal tract (also known as the central nervous system) and the lower motor neurons branch out to the limbs, trunk organs and the rest of the body (the peripheral nervous system). The destruction of nerve fibers that carry motor signals causes muscle paralysis and destruction of sensory nerve fibers, which in turn leads to loss of sensations like touch, temperature and pressure. When the spinal cord is injured, the line of communication is broken with the nerves below the level of injury.

Complete Injury. Complete cervical spine (C1-C8) injuries cause quadriplegia, which is total paralysis of the upper and lower extremities. Complete thoracic (T1-T12), lumbar (L1-L5) and sacral (S1-S5) injuries cause paraplegia, or total paralysis of the lower extremities.

  • C1-C3 patients can speak, swallow and control head movement but their arms and legs are completely paralyzed and they require a mechanical ventilator to breathe.
  • C4 patients may be able to move their neck and shoulders and have difficulty breathing that may or may not require a ventilator, but their arms and legs are completely paralyzed.
  • C5 patients cannot move their trunk or legs and may have difficulty breathing but have some movement of the arms and can bend their elbows and move their shoulders.
  • C6 patients cannot move their trunk or legs and may have difficulty breathing but have some movement of the arms and can bend their elbows and move their shoulders and extend the wrists.
  • C7-8 patients cannot move their trunk or legs and may experience weakness in breathing but can bend and straighten their elbows and have some use of their fingers.
  • T1-T9 patients are completely paralyzed in the lower body and legs. Additionally, patients may have some difficulty breathing — as well as differing degrees of trunk mobility, depending on the level of injury.
  • T10-L1 patients are completely paralyzed in the lower body and legs but have good trunk movement.
  • L2-S5 patients have partial paralysis in the lower extremities and groin with varying degrees of weakness in the hips, knees, ankles and feet.

Incomplete Injury. In an incomplete spinal cord injury there is still some function below the level of injury. The level of paralysis is dependent upon whether the front, back, side, or center of the spinal cord was damaged.

  • Central cord syndrome, the most common form of incomplete spinal cord injury, is associated with trauma to the central portion of the spine. It affects movement in the arms and hands more than the legs. In some cases patients suffer from bladder dysfunction and sensory loss below the level of injury.
  • Anterior cord syndrome results from injury to the front section of the spine. Of the incomplete spinal cord injuries, anterior cord syndrome usually has the worst outcomes. Most patients lose movement as well as the ability to feel pain and temperature below the level of injury but retain some touch, vibration and position sense.
  • Posterior cord syndrome is the least common of incomplete spinal cord injuries. Patients retain some motor function, pain, temperature, and touch but not position sense. Motor strength, as well as pain and temperature sensation, is relatively spared. Patients may require walking devices but otherwise function fairly well.
  • Brown-Sequard syndrome occurs when there is injury to one side of the cord that causes weakness or paralysis on the injured side and loss of pain and temperature sensation on the opposite side. This syndrome can be caused by penetrating trauma (e.g., a puncture wound to the neck or back) or certain diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
  • Conus medullaris syndrome, which is caused by an injury to the sacral region of the spine, may result in bladder problems, groin numbness, and weakness in the lower extremities.
  • Cauda equina syndrome occurs when pressure on the nerves at the bottom of the spinal cord (from herniated disk, bleeding or spinal tumor) causes pain, numbness, weakness and bladder problems.

Stem Cell Research

Stem cells are unspecialized cells capable of dividing and becoming specialized cells. Adult stem cells are found in tissues and organs capable of renewing themselves, and generally function to repair and maintain that tissue. New research indicates it may be possible to reprogram some adult stem cells.

Embryonic stem cells by nature are capable of becoming any type of cell in the body, including nerve cells, but their use has been a source of great debate. In 2009, the FDA authorized the first embryonic stem cell clinical trial. This is very exciting news for scientists, patients, physicians and advocates who firmly believe that stem cell research can unlock the cure to many injuries and diseases, including paralysis.

Legal Help for Paralysis Victims

Though promising research is underway, there is currently no cure for paralysis. Spinal cord injury treatment can only halt further progression of injury and maximize remaining function through rehabilitation.

If you or a loved one has spinal cord paralysis, you want to have the best care in place to ensure the most favorable prognosis.

For more information, speak to a personal injury attorney who will evaluate your case and help you recover the greatest potential compensation to help cover the cost of care. Family members of victims who have died as a result of a spinal cord injury should consider speaking with an attorney who has experience in wrongful death cases and/or an attorney specializing in family law.

[Last revision: February 15, 2010]



FACT:

Almost 1.3 million people in the United States are paralyzed due to spinal cord injury.

Source: Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation