Types of Spinal Cord Injuries

Serving West Virginia and Ohio, including Parkersburg, Charleston, Morgantown, Huntington, Wheeling, Belpre, and Athens

The back can be injured in any accident and can be the cause of another’s negligence. A back injury can result from a:

• Car accident
• Slip and fall
• Truck accident
• Motorcycle accident
• Boating accident

A back injury can range from minor to severe. There are many areas of the back that can suffer an injury:

• The bones
• The muscles
• The cartilage
• The nerves
• The spinal cord

A spinal cord injury is the most serious type of back injury. The spinal cord, along with the brain, makes up the central nervous system. The spinal cord transmits neural signals from the brain to the rest of the body and is very important to how our body functions. When injured, the spinal cord cannot properly do its job.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is classified as trauma or damage to the spinal cord that causes the impaired function or the complete loss of function resulting in the reduction of feeling or mobility.

There are two types of spinal cord injuries:

• Complete Spinal Cord Injury
• Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury

Complete Spinal Cord Injury

Quadriplegia and paraplegia are the results of a complete spinal cord injury. With both quadriplegia and paraplegia, there is no mobility or feeling below the point of the injury and both sides of the body are affected equally.

Quadriplegia occurs when all feeling and mobility in all four limbs is lost. There are some people who have a small amount of hand and arm movement while other people need the assistance of a ventilator system. The level of quadriplegia depends on the location of the injury.

Paraplegia is characterized by the loss of feeling and movement in the lower part of the body usually below the waist. Some people with paraplegia can sit, stand, or walk very short distances with assistance. Most choose to use self-propelled wheel chairs to get around.

Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury

There is limited to no mobility or feeling below the point of injury with incomplete spinal cord injuries. This type of spinal cord injury is more common than complete spinal cord injuries. Some people have limited mobility with little to no feeling while others have limited feeling with little to no mobility.

If you have suffered a spinal cord injury in Ohio or West Virginia and need the assistance of an experienced spinal cord accident attorney, please contact our accident law office to schedule an initial consultation.