Car wrecks, especially those that are serious, can lead to severe injuries. One of the injuries that’s possible is damage to the spinal cord. This injury is often associated with paralysis, but there are also other effects that can occur.
Every system in the body can suffer harm in a spinal cord injury. The level of the injury determines how much of the body will have impacts from it. Damage to the spinal cord affects the area of the body lower than the injury itself. Some of the impacts are the result of other damage to the body.
Impact on bones
The skeletal system can suffer when a person has a spinal cord injury, especially if it alters the ability of the person to do weight-bearing exercises. This can cause osteoporosis, which is a weakening of the bones that can lead to fractures.
It’s also possible that a person will begin to suffer from neurogenic heterotopic ossification. This condition causes the body to grow bone where it normally wouldn’t grow. It often means that bone is growing in the muscle tissue.
Spasticity of muscles
When the spinal cord injury impacts the signals to the muscles, those muscles may contract without releasing. This is known as spasticity, which is a painful condition. It’s often possible to combat this condition by doing special stretches that help to keep the muscles flexible and released.
Effects on mental health
The changes that occur in your life might be hard to cope with. This may cause mental health difficulties. Anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder are all possible. Anyone who’s suffered a spinal cord injury and notices that they’re feeling down should monitor that feeling. While it’s normal to experience this at first, pervasive depression and an inability to see beyond it is a sign that you should seek therapy from a mental health professional to help you cope successfully with a “new normal.”
Getting the care for a spinal cord injury can be costly and time-consuming. It’s imperative that anyone who suffers one gets that care. Individuals who were injured due to a drunk driving crash or another accident might opt to seek compensation to help recover the money they have to spend on care. Other damages, including missed wages, are also possible.