Spinal cord injuries are well-known and widely feared. People don’t want to injure their backs or necks. They fear the loss of motor function and sensation associated with spinal cord injuries. Frequently, popular media depictions of spinal cord injuries show people undergoing miraculous recoveries. They spend a few months in wheelchairs, only to eventually get out and start walking again, often at the most dramatic moment possible.
The real world rarely works the way that movies or television shows do. However, there may be a kernel of truth inside the exaggerated storytelling often used in stories about spinal cord injuries. Although it is rare, people with spinal cord injuries can sometimes recover lost function.
Every spinal cord injury is different
There are three factors that influence the long-term prognosis of an individual with a spinal cord injury. The first involves any underlying medical conditions they already have. Older adults and those with a variety of different chronic medical conditions may have a harder time healing after a significant traumatic injury. Their underlying medical conditions may affect their long-term prognosis.
The second key consideration is the placement of the injury. Generally speaking, the higher on the spine the injury is, the more likely the person is to experience not just paralysis but possibly tetraplegia or quadriplegia. Injuries to the neck may result in symptoms that affect all of the limbs and extremities, not just the legs.
Finally, the completion of the injury is a key factor. Complete spinal cord injuries sever the connection between the brain and the lower body. The body below the injury site cannot communicate with the brain, and recovery is essentially impossible. While there have been amazing advances in rehabilitative technology in recent years, those advances are years, if not decades, away from being widely available.
Currently, the only people who are likely to recover from a spinal cord injury are those with incomplete spinal cord injuries. Traumatic incidents may have pinched, torn or cut the spinal cord without fully disconnecting the top part of the cord from the lower part. In such cases, proper medical interventions, possibly including surgery and rehabilitative therapy, may see people partially recover lost function over time. However, the path to recovery is arduous and often incredibly expensive.
Regardless of an individual’s prognosis, a spinal cord injury can easily cost far more than insurance is likely to pay. Those adjusting to life with a spinal cord injury may need help looking into their options for compensation. Filing a personal injury lawsuit is often necessary, as insurance coverage is often inadequate. Particularly when an individual incurs permanent injuries, the injured person and their family may need to evaluate their options for compensation beyond a simple insurance claim.