What Causes Spinal Cord Injuries in Georgia?
Spinal cord injuries result from damage to the vertebrae, ligaments or disks of the spinal column or to the spinal cord itself. The most common spinal cord injury in Georgia and throughout the U.S. is a broken neck or back, causing damage to the bones of the spine that surround the spinal cord. This often results in damage to the nerves of the spinal cord inside the spinal column.
Traumatic spinal cord injures occur when individuals experience a sudden, traumatic blow to their spine that fractures, crushes, or compresses one or more of their vertebrae. Additional damage can occur days and weeks later because of bleeding, swelling, inflammation, and fluid accumulation in and around the spinal cord.
Nontraumatic spinal cord injuries are caused by disease such as arthritis, cancer, inflammation, infections, and disk degeneration of the spine. If the spine is weak because of a medical condition, minor injuries can cause spinal cord trauma.
There are two categories of spinal cord injury. Complete spinal cord injury causes a person to lose all ability to fell and voluntarily move below the level of injury. In an incomplete spinal cord injury, there is some remaining function below the level or injury.
The spinal cord carries messages from the brain to the rest of the body. Sensory signals for heat, cold, pain, pressure, and position of the limbs are just a few of the messages that travel through the spinal cord. Severe spinal cord damage results in a loss of organ function and the ability to move, feel and breathe.
Auto and motorcycle accidents are the leading cause of spinal cord injury. They account for more than 35 percent of new spinal cord injuries each year. Violent acts, sports and recreation injuries, diving in shallow water, falls and disease are other common causes. Alcohol use is a factor in about 1 out of every 4 spinal cord injuries. Most spinal cord injuries are preventable, and understanding the causes of spinal cord injury can help you avoid becoming a victim.
Violent acts, gunshot wounds in particular, are the second leading cause of traumatic spinal cord injury in the United States. This category of spinal cord injuries has increased in recent years, where spinal cord injuries resulting from auto accidents and sports injuries have declined.
Injuries to the spinal cord are life changing and debilitating, requiring endless medical care and expenses. Bey & Associates specializes in handling the lawsuits of victims who have experienced spinal cord injury. We can pair you with an experienced and aggressive Atlanta, GA spinal cord injury lawyer who can fight on your behalf and help your family gain the compensation you need to recover. Contact our Atlanta, GA office for more information.
