Is Spine Injury Recovery Possible?

The spinal cord has four different sections: cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral. There are specific groups of nerves that are protected by these areas of the spine. Each group controls a particular part of the body. There are two types of spinal cord injuries, complete and incomplete spinal cord injury.

Complete and Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury

Paraplegia or tetraplegia is caused by a complete spinal cord injury. This is permanent damage and occurs when a spine injury completely severs the spinal cord. The functions that the nerves provided may no longer be performed; however, treatment and physical therapy may restore some function.

Incomplete spinal cord injury occurs when a spine injury partially severs the spinal cord. Some function is retained, but the extent of the function depends on the severity of the injury. Fortunately, due to advances in technology, knowledge of the spinal cord, information on how to respond to spinal injury, and how not to respond have lowered the rates of complete spinal cord injuries.

Recovery Prognosis for Spine Injury

Medical advancements are making headway with being able to predict the outcome of recovery for patients with a spinal injury. Recovery depends on many factors, including the extent of the damage and how much nerve loss has occurred. Surviving a spinal injury is step one in the recovery process. Five decades ago, surviving a spinal injury was not common.

It is important to receive the proper care immediately after the spine injury. Surgery may be required, along with other lifesaving interventions. The average time spent in the hospital for spine injury patients is approximately 11 days. Then, depending on the extent of your injury, you may transfer to a rehabilitative facility or you may go home. For those who go to rehab, the average time is about 36 days.

Physical Therapy for Spine Injury

Your hospital stay is for stabilization, not long-term treatment of your injury. Physical therapy can be challenging. It is exercise; but more than that, it is also a rewiring of the nervous system. Sometimes the brain learns to work around the injured area, restoring a certain degree of function to the area affected by the injury.

Baby Step

The road to recovery can be challenging and overwhelming. It is a path comprised of small steps and little successes. Psychological recovery is as important as physical recovery. It may take time to develop a positive, proactive attitude and tapping into the available resources and continuing to persevere will yield great rewards.

Most spinal injury is the result of vehicle accidents. It is important to contact a lawyer who has experience in personal injury law to help you with your case. You are best served by committed lawyers who represent you with honesty and integrity. Tison Law Group in Tampa, Florida, is home to such attorneys. If you have a personal injury case, please schedule an appointment with us for a confidential consultation.