• Home
• About Us
  • Attorney Profiles
    • Dick James
    • Michael Hart
    • George Funderburk
  • Meet the Staff
• Map and Directions
• Practice Areas
  • Personal Injury
    • Traumatic Brain Injury
    • Spinal Cord Injury
    • Burn/Electrical Injury
    • Amputations
    • Dog Bite
  • Premises Liability
    • Negligent Security
    • Slip and Fall
  • Product Liability
  • Vehicle Accidents
    • Automobile Accidents
    • Motorcycle Accidents
    • Truck Accidents
    • Pedestrian Accidents
  • Wrongful Death
  • Criminal Defense
    • Theft, Fraud, and Shoplifting
    • Drug Trafficking/Drug Offenses
    • Sealing and Expungement
    • Traffic Violations
    • Criminal Domestic Violence
    • Juvenile Offenses
    • Probation Violation
    • Misdemeanors and Felonies
    • Driving Under the Influence
    • Murder
    • Sex Crimes
    • Assault and Battery
  • Workers’ Compensation
    • Workers' Compensation Questions
  • South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Law
  • Workplace Injuries
    • Head Injury/Brain damage
    • Vision Loss
    • Back & Neck Injury
    • Shoulder Injury
    • Hand Injury
    • Nerve Damage
    • Broken Bones
    • Electric Shock Injury
    • Paralysis
    • Amputation/Loss of limbs
    • Medical Professionals Injury
  • What is Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)?
    • The History of SSDI
    • SSDI Qualifications
    • SSDI Benefits (disabled worker, long-term, short-term, family, etc)
    • SSDI Process
  • Medicare and Medicaid
  • Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect
  • Immigration Law
    • Green card
    • Naturalization and Citizenship
    • Work Visas
    • Deportation
• Español
  • Lesiones personales
  • Seguro de riesgos laborales
  • Defensa penal
  • ¿Qué son las prestaciones del Seguro Social por discapacidad? (SSDI)
  • Derecho migratorio
• Contáctenos
• Contact Us
• Blog

Spinal Cord Injury Questions

Greenville, Spartanburg, South Carolina

Below you will find some frequently asked questions about spinal cord injuries. If you or a loved one has been involved in an accident that resulted in a spinal cord injury and you have additional questions, contact a knowledgeable spinal cord injury attorney.

What is the spinal cord?

The spinal cord is a bundle of nerve tissues, extending from your brain’s central nervous system. Enclosed by your vertebrae (the bones of your spine), your spinal cord works to send signals from your brain to the rest of your body. Your vertebrae are separated into seven neck (called cervical) vertebrae, 12 middle back (called thoracic) vertebrae, and five lower back (called lumbar) vertebrae. Down from your lumbar are five fused vertebrae (called your sacrum) and three small fused vertebrae that form your tailbone (called your coccyx).

What is a spinal cord injury?

When one or multiple parts of your vertebrae become damaged, this can affect your nerve track and prohibit messages from being transferred from your brain to your body. In a complete spinal cord injury, your brain is not able to relay its messages down your spinal cord past the point of injury. The result is paralysis below the injured vertebrae. With incomplete spinal cord injuries, you may still have some function and sensation below the area, though it is usually limited.

Who is at the highest risk of suffering a spinal cord injury?

Anyone can suffer a spinal cord injury at any time. Some studies show, however, that men make up 80 percent of spinal cord injuries. The elderly and young adults are most commonly injured in their spinal cord region. Those who participate in contact or high-risk sports are also at a higher risk. Some of these sports include:

• Football
• Rugby
• Wrestling
• Gymnastics
• Diving
• Skiing and snowboarding

What are the symptoms of a spinal cord injury?

Like spinal cord injuries, symptoms can range from mild to severe. Symptoms include:

• Extreme pain or a stinging sensation in the neck, head, or back
• Loss of control over bowels or bladder
• Loss of sensation in your feet, toes, hands and fingers
• Sexual dysfunction
• Difficulty breathing
• Loss of voluntary movement

If I suspect a spinal cord injury, what should I do?

First of all, do not move the affected person. Call for emergency medical assistance and try to keep the victim in the same position in which they fell or were discovered. Carefully and gently hold the injured person’s head and neck in place or put towels around the neck to prevent movement. If CPR is necessary, do not tilt the head back; just hold their mouth open with your fingers.

If you or a loved one has suffered a spinal cord injury, you have a lot to handle. The Dick James Law Firm can help ease your financial stress by fighting to win you the money you and your family deserve. We provide free consultations and serve clients in Spartanburg and Greenville, South Carolina. Please contact our office today.