Spinal Cord Injury: Why It’s Not Curable

An accident resulting in a spinal cord injury can have a devasting effect on the injured and his or her loved ones. In just a moment, an individual can go from being an active, engaged person to someone confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his or her life. While this may seem like a fate worse than death, the lives of such people as Christopher Reeves and Joni Erickson Tada teach us valuable lessons. Even though spinal cord injury may not be curable, you can still be active and engaged, but on different levels.

Hope Springs Eternal

For centuries, spinal cord injuries were not treated. It was assumed that nothing could be done for these patients. It seemed only a matter of time before the injured person would expire. The history of spinal cord injury dates back to ancient Egypt. From then until the early to mid-1900s, patients would suffer because not enough was known about these types of injuries, and the technology to make progress toward a cure was not available.

Today, there still is not a cure; however, advanced technology and brain studies are steadily working toward one, or at least solutions. Comparing past history with what is known and available now is an interesting study in how far medical science has come in treating spinal cord injury.

One hundred years ago, Joni Eareckson Tada never would have graced the world with her beautiful artwork. Christopher Reeves would never have had such an impact on spinal cord injury research.

Spinal Cord Injury is Complicated

There are two basic types of spinal cord injury: complete and incomplete. Permanent damage is caused by complete spinal cord injury. This type results in paralysis. The higher up the injury, the more the body is affected. Cervical spinal cord injury results in tetraplegia while lower, lumbar injuries to the spinal cord will result in paraplegia.

When the spinal cord injury is incomplete, the patient may still have some feeling and mobility, depending on the severity of the injury. In these types of injuries, the spinal cord is partially damaged as opposed to being severed. Response to treatment depends on the health and medical history of the patient.

The Brain Connection

The spinal cord is responsible for sending messages to the brain. When this pathway is severely restricted or cut off, the messages may be confused or not delivered at all. Research for a cure is ongoing. Meanwhile, great strides have been taken to improve the lives of those affected by spinal cord injury.

Spinal cord injury resulting from an accident is a major injury that should be well compensated for the losses incurred. The attorneys at Tison Law Group will use their expertise to build a case aimed at providing fair compensation. We are located in Tampa, FL, and provide legal services to residents of Tampa and the surrounding areas. Contact us to schedule a time to discuss your personal injury case with one of our friendly attorneys.