Spinal Cord Injuries

What is Spinal Cord Injury?   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 damage are trauma (car accident, gunshot,  falls, etc.) or disease (polio, spina bifida, Friedreich's Ataxia, etc.). The spinal cord does not have to be severed in order for a loss of functioning to occur. In fact, in most people with SCI, the spinal cord is intact, but the damage to it results in loss of functioning. SCI is very different from back injuries such as ruptured disks, spinal stenosis or pinched nerves.
   A person can "break their back or neck" yet not sustain a spinal cord injury if only the bones around the spinal cord (the vertebrae) are damaged, but the spinal cord is not affected. In these situations, the individual may not experience paralysis after the bones are stabilized.
   What is the spinal cord and the vertebra?   The spinal cord is about 18 inches long and extends from the base of the brain, down the middle of the back, to about the waist. The nerves that lie within the spinal cord are upper motor neurons (UMNs) and their function is to carry the messages back and forth from the brain to the spinal nerves along the spinal tract. The spinal nerves that branch out from the spinal cord to the other parts of the body are called lower motor neurons (LMNs). These spinal nerves exit and enter at each vertebral level and communicate with specific areas of the body. The sensory portions of the LMN carry messages about sensation from the skin and other body parts and organs to the brain. The motor portions of the LMN send messages from the brain to the various body parts to initiate actions such as muscle movement.
(http://www.spinalinjury.net/html/_spinal_cord_101.html) 
    
Car Accidents can cause numerous problems to the body.  Spinal cord injuries can affect your hands, arms, legs and feet and will usually take a MRI to discover.  Depending where the injury will determine what other parts of your body will be affected.  A neck injury can affect your arm while a back injury can affect your legs. When you are involved in a car accident and you don't "feel" any injuries call an Attorney anyway.  It may take several weeks before any injuries will be discovered.  


At Zeisler & Associates you will get the attention YOU deserve and need.  Zeisler & Associates ONLY practice personal injury.  Make your first call the them and they can refer you to the best doctors for your situation.


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