Anoka Spinal Cord Injury Attorney

Difficult Spine Injury Cases in Minnesota

Damage to any part of the spinal cord or nerves at the end of the spinal canal often causes permanent impairment in strength, sensation, and other bodily functions below the place of the injury. While many spinal cord injuries result in full or partial paralysis, many other painful conditions can occur from a damaged spinal column.

If you have suffered a severe spinal cord injury (SCI), let the Anoka spine injury lawyers of Bolt Law Firm know. We help people across Minnesota with catastrophic injury claims, such as spinal cord and spine injuries. We would like to get the chance to help you, too.

Please call (763) 292-2102 or contact us online for a free consultation.

Types of Spinal Cord Injuries

A spinal cord injury occurs when there is damage to the spinal cord, a bundle of nerves that runs down the middle of the back, transmitting signals between the brain and the rest of the body. SCIs can result from trauma, diseases, or conditions that affect the spinal cord’s integrity or functionality. This damage often leads to a loss of mobility, sensation, or function below the point of injury, depending on its severity.

The following are the two main types of spine injuries:

1. Complete Spinal Cord Injury: In this type of injury, there is a total loss of sensory and motor function below the level of injury. No signals can pass through the spinal cord in the affected area, resulting in paralysis (tetraplegia or paraplegia).
2. Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: This type occurs when the spinal cord is partially damaged, allowing some movement and sensation below the injury site. There may be varying degrees of functionality, depending on the extent of the injury.

Specific types of spinal cord injuries include:

• Tetraplegia (Quadriplegia)
• Occurs when the injury affects the cervical (neck) region of the spinal cord, resulting in loss of function in the arms, hands, trunk, legs, and pelvic organs.
• Paraplegia
• Results from injuries to the thoracic, lumbar, or sacral regions of the spinal cord. It affects the lower half of the body, leading to a loss of function in the legs and possibly the pelvic organs.
• Anterior Cord Syndrome
• This injury affects the front part of the spinal cord, often leading to a loss of motor function and sensations of pain and temperature below the injury site. However, sensations of touch and proprioception may remain intact.
• Central Cord Syndrome
• This occurs when the central part of the spinal cord is damaged. It often results in more severe weakness or paralysis in the arms than the legs, and some sensory loss may occur.
• Brown-Séquard Syndrome
• This type involves damage to one side of the spinal cord. It leads to a loss of motor function and sensation on the same side as the injury, with a loss of pain and temperature sensation on the opposite side.
• Cauda Equina Syndrome
• Involves injury to the bundle of nerve roots at the lower end of the spinal cord (cauda equina). This can result in partial or complete loss of sensation and movement in the legs, bladder, bowel, and sexual dysfunction.

Spinal cord injuries can range from mild to severe, and treatment typically involves managing the immediate damage and attempting to maximize recovery through physical therapy and rehabilitation.

Symptoms of a Spinal Cord Injury

Whether you can control your limbs after a spinal cord injury is determined by two factors: the injury’s location on the spinal cord and the injury’s severity.

Paralysis can be categorized as:

• Partial: Paralysis that causes loss of some but not all of a body part’s functionality is considered partial.
• Total: Paralysis that causes a complete loss of a body party’s functionality is considered total.
• Temporary: Paralysis can be temporary if the injury is comparatively minor and capable of healing.
• Permanent: Paralysis is permanent if it is believed that no amount of medical intervention can restore mobility or functionality to the affected body parts. Most cases of paralysis are permanent because nerves do not heal naturally on their own.

A herniated or inflamed disc can cause pinched nerves, requiring surgery and weeks of bed rest, and extreme pain. Some back injuries result in permanent numbness or weakness, even without paralysis. Spinal cord injuries can leave an individual with a complete lack of independence or mobility.

Warning Signs of Possible Spinal Cord Damage

Any kind of spinal cord injury may result in one or more of the following symptoms:

• Loss of movement
• Inability to feel sensations
• Loss of bladder and bowel control
• Spasms
• Pain due to nerve damage
• Difficulty breathing

When someone suffers considerable trauma to the head or neck, they need an immediate medical evaluation for a potential spinal injury. Numbness or even paralysis may occur instantly or gradually due to bleeding or swelling around or in the spinal cord. Unfortunately, a serious spinal injury is not necessarily obvious. The safest policy at the scene of an accident is to assume there is a spinal cord injury.

Common Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries

According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, the leading causes of spinal cord injury are traffic crashes, falls, and violence. Car wrecks are often due to someone’s negligence. Injuries suffered in a car accident that was caused by the negligence or recklessness of someone else can be compensated.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that falls injure more workers than anything else. Also, many employees use products made by other companies to perform their work duties. If these products cause the employee’s injury, the injured employee may be able to seek a defective product claim against the manufacturer.

Call Anoka’s Trusted Personal Injury Team

If you or a loved one has suffered a spinal cord injury due to the recklessness or carelessness of another person, contact Bolt Law Firm. Our Anoka spinal cord injury attorneys have been ranked top in the state by multiple organizations and publications. We have the knowledge and skill to resolve your case with the compensation you deserve.

Find out more. Call (763) 292-2102.