An injury to a person’s spinal cord can be a life-altering event. Although different spinal cord injuries may result in significantly varying symptoms and degrees of harm, serious trauma to the spinal cord can render a person disabled and unable to work. This post will offer Oklahoma residents some insights into the true challenges that spinal cord injury victims may face but, as with all medical information offered on this blog, this post should not be read as medical or legal advice.
Harm suffered at any point along a person’s spinal cord may result in a spinal cord injury. The spinal cord runs down a person’s body and carries nerves throughout the body. These nerves carry signals from the brain to all bodily system to ensure that they respond and function as they should for a person’s survival.
When the spinal cord suffers trauma it is possible for the nerves at and below the site of the injury to stop functioning. This can mean that if a victim suffers a spinal cord injury at the neck, they may lose function and sensation in their limbs and throughout their torso. An individual who suffers the complete loss of sensation below the neck may suffer tetraplegia and may not be able to move on their own.
Tetraplegia is a possible severe outcome from a spinal cord injury. Not all victims suffer this extreme form of harm, but different degrees of injury may still render victims unable to work. Spinal cord injuries can have long-term and pervasive effects on the quality of victims’ lives and may prevent them from finding and keeping the work they need to provide for themselves.
When this is case, victims may be able to recover the compensation they need to obtain adequate medical care and focus on their health and rehabilitation. This often requires the filing of a Social Security disability claim, which can prove to be a complicated process. Therefore, those who have suffered a spinal cord injury that has affected his or her ability to work may want to discuss the matter with a qualified legal professional.