Enjoying a day on the lake or a ride on a motorcycle can easily end in tragedy. These activities, along with falling from heights at work or at home can lead to spinal cord injuries. These injuries can change your life in an instant, preventing you from working and from providing for your family. You might require surgery to fix the injuries or even extensive rehabilitation. Today, we will examine the common causes of spinal cord injuries and how you can avoid them.
What Causes Spinal Cord Injuries?
If you ever suffer a spinal cord injury it could be for a litany of reasons. An injury to the spinal cord happens when the nerve fibers of the spinal cord are damaged. This can occur when pressure is placed on the body or direct trauma to the spinal cord happens. The most common causes of spinal cord injuries include the following:
- Falls from heights
- Various diseases (cancer, arthritis, inflammation of the spinal cord and osteoporosis)
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Sports injuries and collisions
- Acts of violence (knife and gunshot wounds)
- Alcohol use
What are the Risk Factors?
There are risk factors when it comes to spinal cord injuries and they include the following:
- Are you between the ages of 16 and 30?
- Are you male?
- Are you older than 65?
- Do you engage in dangerous or risky behavior?
- Do you have a joint or bone disorder?
Symptoms of Spinal Cord Injuries
The symptoms of spinal cord injuries include the following:
- Pressure in your back, head, or neck
- Extreme pain
- Difficulty breathing immediately after the injury
- Loss of bowel control or bladder issues
- Paralysis in any area of your body
- Incoordination or weakness
- Loss of sensation in the hands, tingling, numbness
- A twisted back or neck
What to Do if You Suspect a Spinal Cord Injury
If you come across someone who might have suffered a spinal cord injury, or you witnessed a serious accident, you need to take the following steps to protect the patient:
- Never move the patient. This could result in paralysis or other serious complications
- Call 911 immediately
- Do your best to keep the patient still
- Place towels on both sides of the patient’s neck. If no towels are available, hold the person’s head still
- Do your best to stop any bleeding
- Try to make the patient as comfortable as possible until emergency personnel arrive
It can be difficult to witness a person suffer a spinal cord injury and you might want to pick them up, put them in your car, and drive them to the hospital. This is the worst thing you can do. Keep the patient still and call 911.
Contact an Experienced Atlanta Attorney Today
Did you suffer a spinal cord injury on the job? Did a loved one suffer a spinal cord injury listed in this post at a business or someone else’s house? If so, it’s time you spoke to an experienced Ohio personal injury attorney about the situation. Call Anzellotti, Sperling, Pazol & Small to schedule a free consultation today.
