What are the Different Types of Damages In a Spinal Cord Injury?

When someone sustains a traumatic brain injury, the effects can have a tremendous impact on the injured individual. Few have the same amount of impact as a spinal cord injury which can often immobilize the victim completely.

Unfortunately, these types of injuries occur far too often with over 17,000 new cases of SCIs each year. As of last year, there were roughly 288,000 individuals living in the United States with some form of spinal cord injury. It’s important for individuals to recognize the different types of damages that may be sustained and how they occur.

The Location of the Injury Determines the Symptoms

The different parts of the spinal cord that could be injured will dictate how the body would be affected. Here are some of the different types of spinal cord injuries that may occur:

• Cervical spinal cord injury: This type of injury occurs when the damage occurs to the area between the C1 and C8. As a result, the individual may experience paralysis or weakness in all four limbs (both legs and arms). This is referred to as quadriplegia.
• Thoracic spinal cord injury: This is a result of an injury to the location between the T1 and T12. It’s less common than other types of SCIs because of the protection of the rib cage. However, when it does occur, it can result in paraplegia, or paralysis of both legs.
• Lumbar spinal cord injury: This level of injury typically results in paralysis or weakness of both legs and occurs in the area between the L1 and L5 portion of the spinal cord. This is the part responsible for controlling signals to the lower body.
• Sacral spinal cord injury: Occurring between the S1 and S5, this type of damage may result in paralysis below the hips and legs. It can also result in the individual losing function of bowel and bladder.

Spinal cord injuries may also be designated either complete or incomplete. A complete spinal cord injury means that the individual loses all sensory and motor function below the point where the injury occurred.

An incomplete spinal cord injury means that there may be partial communication from the spinal cord injury to parts of the body. So, they may be affected on one side of their body, but not the other.

If you’ve suffered a spinal cord injury due to negligence, Caputo & Van Der Walde is here to help. Our San Jose spinal cord injury lawyers are dedicated to helping you in the most positive manner possible, pursuing the compensation and justice you deserve.