What are the signs of a spinal cord injury?

A spinal cord injury is every bit as serious as it sounds, as this is one of the most important parts of your body.

You can suffer a variety of injuries in a motor vehicle accident, with those impacting your spinal cord having the potential to change your life forever

Here are some of the signs that you may have suffered this type of injury:

• Extreme pressure or pain in your back, neck or head
• Weakness or paralysis, even if only in a part of your body
• Tingling or numbness in your fingers, hands, toes or feet
• Loss of bowel or bladder control
• Difficulty walking or balancing
• Difficulty breathing

It’s important to note that these signs don’t always come into play after suffering a spinal cord injury. Furthermore, you may not experience any symptoms right away, but these could set in over time.

Since a spinal cord injury is so serious, you can’t wait to receive medical treatment. Also, an attempt to move after suffering this injury could result in additional damage. That’s why it’s best to call for an ambulance and stay where you are until help arrives.

You can suffer a spinal cord injury in any type of motor vehicle accident, even those in which you were moving slowly.

After you receive treatment and understand the impact of the injury on your life, both now and in the future, you want to learn more about what went wrong on the road. If another driver was at fault, it’s time to learn more about your legal rights and what to do next.

Source: Mayo Clinic, “Spinal cord injury,” accessed March 07, 2018