Complete vs Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury — What Are The Differences
Getting a spinal cord injury is one of the most traumatic human experiences ever. It is all too often caused by a serious car accident. Aside from the pain you may feel from getting it, this life-altering injury may also prevent you from doing things your able-bodied self could once do without difficulty.
It’s not uncommon for people with severed spinal cords to suffer from limited mobility, and in dire cases, lose their ability to walk or even move their hands! This reduces the quality of life for those who are affected, often resulting in emotional distress.
In addition, the treatment for this injury costs a lot, so the financial repercussions of getting this impairment may add to what they’re already handling mentally. All of these things piled up at once could push them to a bad place, and this is supported by Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center’s data.
According to them, one in five victims of spinal cord injury experience depression, an alarmingly high rate considering that it is significantly higher than the rate of depression among Americans (one in twenty).
People who suffer from a severed spine either endure two types of spinal cord injury — complete vs incomplete.
But what is the difference between incomplete vs complete cord injury? By the end of this blog, you will know what things separate complete and incomplete spinal cord injury from each other.
Can you guess what they are?
Complete Spinal Cord Injury
Also known as complete spinal cord transection, this type of injury prevents a person from moving parts of their body below the severely severed section of their spine. For example, if a person’s complete spinal tear is located somewhere on the neck area, then they will not be able to move any parts of their body from the neck down.
This complete transection of spinal cord ends up disrupting nerve impulses, meaning that the connection between brain and body is broken to the extent that it prevents the brain from telling the body what to do. As a result, people with complete spinal cord injury end up being bed-bound for the rest of their lives as treatment to reverse it is still yet to be developed.
Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury
Incomplete spinal cord injury is the less severe version of complete spinal cord injury. There’s only a slight damage done to the severed part of the injury, which means that the body can still get some messages from the brain. However, since it is slightly severed, body parts below the injured part of the spine may not be able to function to its full capacity.
For example, those affected by this injury may experience a lack of coordination in their movements as well as numbness and tingling. Treatment is available for those who wish to improve mobility. They may be able to undergo surgery and work with a physical therapist.
There are varying levels of injury in this kind of damage to the spine, so be aware that there are different types of incomplete spinal cord injury
What You Need To Do When Your Spinal Cord Is Injured
If you get a spinal cord injury due to an accident, you will first and foremost need to make sure that you are okay! Make sure that the emergency response team takes you to the hospital to get you checked up. Immediate action for your injury is necessary for your recovery as it prevents the severing of the spine from getting worse.
Afterwards, you need to call a personal injury law firm to help you get the compensation you deserve. But the outcome of your compensation depends on how good your personal injury lawyer is. For this reason, you need to shop around and look for the best. Luckily, you just found them.
Call Omega Law Group
Omega Law Group’s team comprises award-winning attorneys with a combined decade’s worth of experience and a dedicated team of paralegals and case managers who will stop at nothing to get the clients the compensation they deserve. Since the firm’s establishment in 2016, they have been able to recoup millions of dollars for their clients.
Their excellent testimonials speak for themselves: people suffering with Spinal Cord Injury will be in good hands should they have Omega Law Group as their legal representation. Schedule a free consultation now by visiting our Contact Us page.