The devastating and terrifying fact about spinal cord injuries, is that, in a moment, they can change your entire life. Spinal cord injuries (“SCIs”) are catastrophic injuries: the types of injuries that have a permanent effect on you. They often cannot be cured; even when they can be managed, they require intensive therapy and medications. In the worst of circumstances, they’re fatal.

Injuries to the spinal cord, which result when the spinal cord is damaged, obstruct sensory, motor, and reflex signals between the brain and body. As a result, the signals and messages often are unable to move beyond the damage site. Usually, the higher up on the spinal cord SCIs are, the more disability victims will have.

Types of spinal cord injuries

There are two types of SCIs: incomplete SCIs and complete SCIs. Incomplete SCIs result from partial or incomplete damage to the spinal cord, and victims still have some bodily function. An incomplete spinal cord injury can be the result of a crushed or bruised cord; it doesn’t have to be severed to be damaged.

There are three subtypes of incomplete spinal cord injuries:

• Anterior cord syndrome – damage to the front of the spinal cord affecting motor and sensory passages.
• Central cord syndrome – damage to the center of the spinal cord affecting nerves transporting signals from the brain to the spinal cord and leading to loss of fine motor skills and paralysis in the arms and/or legs.
• Brown-Sequard syndrome – varied damage affecting only one side of the spinal cord and body.

Complete SCIs result from complete damage to the spinal cord, and victims have no bodily function at all. These types of spinal cord injuries lead to paralysis:

• Tetraplegia – severe damage to the cervical spinal cord leading to complete limb paralysis, inability for movement past the damage site, and trouble with bladder function, breathing, etc.
• Paraplegia – damage to the thoracic spinal cord eliminating feeling and movement from the lower body

Causes of spinal cord injuries

There are various causes of SCIs, and they are either traumatic or non-traumatic. Traumatic SCIs result from sudden, traumatic blows to the spine, leading to damage to the vertebrae or to the spinal cord being severed, whereas non-traumatic SCIs result from gradual, internal damage to the spinal cord. Traumatic causes of SCIs include:

• Auto accidents
• Falls
• Violence
• Sports injuries
• Surgery

Non-traumatic causes of SCIs include:

• Diseases
• Cancer
• Soreness
• Family Genetics

Life after a catastrophic injury

While these injuries are catastrophic, doctors and patients have been working hard to combat their injuries. Back in February, we read a story about a young man named Hunter Garstin. He was a high school wrestler at Independence High School in Williamson County, and on December 7, 2013, he was in a tournament in Huntsville High. Something went wrong during a landing, and Hunter dislocated his C-6 vertebra. It was nobody’s fault. He was instantly paralyzed.

What makes Hunter Garstin so incredible is not that he has an SCI; thousands of people around the world live with spinal injuries. Hunter, however, is beating the odds. Despite the severity of his injuries, he maintains an intensive schedule of physical therapy, and refuses to give up on his dream of walking again one day. Through fundraising efforts, he has managed to undergo some successful procedures in his quest to walk.

For victims of negligence, this is what compensation from a lawsuit can do: it can provide the tools you need to rebuild your life. At Delius & McKenzie, PLLC, we fight for that future, so you can focus on your goals. To learn more about our services, or to work with an experienced Sevierville personal injury attorney, please call 865-428-8780, or fill out our contact form. We proudly represent clients in and around Sevierville, Seymour, Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.