Personal Injury Lawyers in New York

Our bodies have two nervous systems:

• The peripheral nervous system – with nerves throughout the body which give sensation and movement
• The central nervous system – consisting of the spinal cord and brain

These nervous systems are the communication systems within the body. They carry messages from the brain to the entire body, such as “Pull your hand back from that hot stove”, and back to the brain, such as “Right foot is hurting”.

The spinal cord runs from the base of the brain to just above the waist. It is inside the spinal vertebrae, well protected from injury, but not injury-proof. The 33 vertebrae can be damaged – you can break your back – without the spinal cord necessarily being affected.

But when the spinal cord is damaged, paralysis can result, in different areas of the body depending on where the spinal cord was damaged. There are four areas in the spinal cord, each with a number of large spinal nerves which branch off the spinal cord, run through apertures in the vertebrae, and then subdivide, branching around in different body areas.

• The Cervical Area – is in the neck and its nerves control the diaphragm, the shoulders, neck, arms, hands, and back of the head
• The Thoracic Area – is in the upper back and its nerves control the torso and part of the arms
• The Upper Lumbar Area – is in the mid back just below the ribs, and its nerves control the hips and legs
• The Sacral Area – is in the mid back just below the Upper Lumbar Area, and its nerves control the groin, parts of the legs, and the toes

The spinal cord stops in the mid back, but the vertebrae continue on down to the coccyx.

Two types of spinal cord injury

• Complete – the person has now lost all sensation and voluntary movement on both sides of the body, below the injury location. When the injury is in the cervical area, quadriplegia will result. When it is lower down, paraplegia results.
• Partial – the person will have individualized consequences, differing from person to person, and according to the exact nature of the injury

Spinal cord injuries can affect not only the limbs and voluntary movement, but any other body function as well. So, for instance, the person might need a respirator for breathing if the injury is high on the spinal cord. Males can become infertile. People can suffer from bladder and bowel problems. Functions that we take for granted can be impaired, such as body temperature, blood pressure, or ability to sweat.

And of course, there can be pain, often chronic.

Causes of spinal cord injury

Some are the result of a disease such as spina bifida or polio, but most result from trauma. About 44% of spinal cord injuries are caused by auto accidents. Other causes are violent assaults, falls, and sports injuries. Over 80% of spinal cord injuries happen to males.

Please watch this space for Spinal Cord Injuries: Part 2, on treatment and management.