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SPINAL CORD INJURY LAWYERS

Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) is damage to the spinal cord that results in a loss of function, such as mobility or feeling. Frequent causes of spinal cord damage are trauma (car accident, workplace accident, falls, gunshot, etc.) or disease (polio, spina bifida, etc.). Due to the severely debilitating nature of such injuries, accidents casuing spinal cord injury are often the subject of personal injury lawsuits and litigation. The occurrence of an SCI-causing accident usually results in immediate, dramatic upheaval of all aspects of the victim's life - family, work and social relations can be severed in this process. Indeed, as a SCI victim struggles to remain alive, the lives of his immediate (and sometimes, extended) family members undergo a similar transformation - the demands of caring for a SCI victim and his/her family can cause sudden and dramatic changes in lifestyle.


 

Fortunately, there are people who can help -- medical professionals with specific training and experience in SCI, physical, occupational and speech therapists to deal with the long-term effect of spinal cord injury, case workers to help facilitate programs and benefits to assist victims and family members, and attorneys who specialize in SCI and the types of accidents that result in spinal injury. Family members of SCI victims must be vigilant in the protection of the victim's legal rights , immediate and long-term medical care, and benefits available through federal, state and privately-funded agencies.


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  The following is a list of the various regions of the spinal cord, and the functions controlled by the respective region:    

The spinal cord is about as big around as the index finger. It descends from the brain down the back through hollow channels of the backbone. The spinal cord is made of nerve cells (neurons). The nerve cells carry sensory data from the areas outside the spinal cord (periphery) to the brain, and they carry motor commands from brain to periphery. Peripheral neurons are bundled together to make up the 31 pairs of peripheral nerve roots. The peripheral nerve roots enter and exit the spinal cord by passing through the spaces between the stacked vertebrae. Each pair of nerves is named for the vertebra from which it exits. These are known as:

  • C1-8. These nerves enter from the eight cervical or neck vertebrae.
  • T1-12. These nerves enter from the thoracic or chest vertebrae.
  • L1-5. These nerves enter from the lumbar vertebrae of the lower back.
  • S1-5. These nerves enter through the sacral or pelvic vertebrae.
  • Coccygeal. These nerves enter through the coccyx or tailbone.

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The extent to which movement and sensation are damaged depends on the level of the spinal cord injury. Nerves leaving the spinal cord at different levels control sensation and movement in different parts of the body. The distribution is roughly as follows:

  • C1-C4: head and neck.
  • C3-C5: diaphragm (chest and breathing).
  • C5-T1: shoulders, arms and hands.
  • T2-T12: chest and abdomen (excluding internal organs).
  • L1-L4: abdomen (excluding internal organs), buttocks, genitals, and upper legs.
  • L4-S1: legs.
  • S2-S4: genitals and muscles of the perineum.

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