At a glance: This article takes a look at some of the different causes of and types of spinal injury. Spinal injury can change a person’s life and that of their family in a moment. If you, or a member of your family, have suffered an injury which you believe may have been caused by the actions of someone else it is important to get legal advice from specialist solicitors.
The most common cause of spinal cord injuries are car and motorcycle accidents. Other common causes of spinal injuries include:-
- Slips or trips and falls
- Sports related accidents,
- Violent assaults,
- Negligence during spinal surgery; and
- Negligence in the administration of an epidural injections.
Injuries can typically range from relatively mild ligament and muscle strains, to fractures and dislocations of the bony vertebrae, to life changing spinal cord damage.
Depending on how severe your injury is, you may suffer with pain in the neck or back and have difficulty walking, or be unable to move your arms or legs (paralysis).
Lower back injuries can sometimes impair the function of the hips and pain can radiate into the legs. Equally, with neck injuries, pain can radiate into the arms and an injured person can sometimes also suffer with cervicogenic headaches.
Nerves can be impacted when a spinal injury occurs and cauda equina syndrome is a rare condition whereby the nerves located at the base of the spinal cord become compressed, resulting in damage to the nerves controlling the bladder and bowel.
Recovery from a spinal injury typically starts a week to six months after the injury, but some people experience small improvements for up to one to two years.
Serious injuries including spinal injury can change a person’s life and that of their family in a moment. If you, or a member of your family, have suffered an injury which you believe may have been caused by the actions of someone else it is important to get legal advice from specialist solicitors.
We have over 50 years expert legal experience advising on personal injury claims.
