Frequently Asked Questions

• Where can I get free legal advice regarding my injury?
• What is the spinal cord?
• What is a spinal cord injury?
• Is there a cure for spinal cord injuries?
• Will I ever walk again?
• What is paralysis?
• What is paraplegia and quadriplegia?
• What is tetraplegia?
• What is meant by the terms "complete" and "incomplete" paralysis?
• Are there any treatments?
• What is the prognosis?
• What research is being done?
• How is sexuality affected by spinal cord injury?
• What does the spinal cord look like and what does it do?
• What happens when nerve fibers re-grow?
• What is a stem cell?

Where can I get free legal advice regarding my injury?
To speak with an attorney for free legal advice, contact the spinal cord injury experts at The Cartwright Law Firm.

What is the spinal cord?
The spinal cord enables your brain to communicate with your body.  Up and down the spinal cord, every second of your life, messages are sent to keep you on the move.  When the spinal cord is injured or damaged, this communication may become cut off, resulting in a loss of function.

What is a spinal cord injury?
Spinal cord injury (SCI) occurs when a traumatic event results in damage to cells within the spinal cord, or severs the nerve tracts which relay signals.  The most common types of SCI include contusion (bruising of the spinal cord) and compression (caused by pressure on the spinal cord).

Other types of injuries include lacerations (severing or tearing of some nerve fibers), and central cord syndrome (specific damage to the cervical region of the spinal cord).  Severe SCI often causes paralysis (loss of control over voluntary movement via muscles of the body) and loss of sensation and reflex function below the point of injury, including autonomic activity such as breathing, bowel and bladder control, and sexual functions. Other symptoms such as pain or sensitivity to stimuli, muscle spasms, and sexual dysfunction may develop over time.  SCI patients are also prone to develop secondary medical problems, such as bladder infections, lung infections, and bed sores.

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Is there a cure for spinal cord injuries?
Damage to the spinal cord due to an injury can be permanent; however, new research proves that spinal cord repair and regeneration is possible.  More and more medical experts around the world are confident that a cure for paralysis could be as close as ten years away.  New breakthroughs and discoveries leading to a cure may be imminent.

Will I ever walk again?
Every injury is different, so no one can determine what function you may or may not recover over time or through certain treatments.  While there is no definitive cure for SCI at this time, hopefully there will be new treatments soon with the advent of stem cell research.  

What is paralysis?
Partial or complete loss of body functions, especially when involving movement or sensation in a part of the body.

What is paraplegia and quadriplegia?
Paraplegia is the loss of sensation and movement in the legs and in part or all of the trunk, usually resulting from an injury to the spinal cord below the neck.  Quadriplegia is paralysis of all four limbs (from the neck down) resulting from injury to the neck.  Fractures or compression of the vertebrae, which cause permanent damage to the spinal cord, may lead to loss of sensation, movement, pain management, bladder and bowel control, and may affect sexual function as well.

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What is tetraplegia?
Tetraplegia is paralysis of the arms, legs, and trunk of the body below the level of an associated injury to the spinal cord.  This disorder is usually caused by spinal cord injury, especially in the area of the fifth to the seventh vertebrae.  Automobile accidents and sporting mishaps are common causes.  This condition affects about 150,000 Americans, the majority of whom are men between 20 and 40 years of age.  Signs and symptoms commonly include flaccidity of the arms and the legs and the loss of power and sensation below the level of the injury.  Cardiovascular complications may also develop from any injury that damages the spinal cord above the fifth cervical vertebra because of an associated block of the sympathetic nervous system.  A major cause of death from such injury is respiratory failure.  Other symptoms may include low body temperature, bradycardia, impaired peristalsis, and autonomic dysreflexia.  Diagnosis is based on a complete physical and neurologic examination with radiographic pictures of the head, chest, and abdomen to rule out underlying injuries.  Spinal x-ray examinations and CT scores and MRI are usually done to evaluate the extent of the injury.

Treatment starts at the accident scene, where the patient's neck and spine are immobilized.  Additional immobilization at the hospital commonly includes the use of halo traction.  Steroids may be administered to decrease spinal cord edema.  Surgery is commonly performed to fuse unstable spinal sections and remove bone fragments.

What is meant by the terms "complete" and "incomplete" paralysis?
Complete injuries result in total loss of sensation and function below the injury level.  Incomplete injuries result in partial loss.  

Are there any treatments?
While recent advances in emergency care and rehabilitation allow many SCI patients to survive, methods for reducing the extent of the injury and for restoring function are still limited.  Immediate treatment for acute SCI includes techniques to relieve cord compression, prompt (within 8 hours of the injury) drug therapy with corticosteroids such as methylprednisolone to minimize cell damage, and stabilization of the vertebrae of the spine to prevent further injury.

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What is the prognosis?
The types of disability associated with SCI vary greatly depending on the severity of the injury, the segment of the spinal cord at which the injury occurred, and which nerve fibers are damaged.  Most people with SCI regain some functions between a week and 6 months after injury, but the likelihood of spontaneous recovery diminishes after 6 months.  Rehabilitation strategies can minimize long-term disability.

What research is being done?
Research on trauma-related disorders such as SCI focuses on increasing scientific understanding of how changes in molecules, cells, and their complex interactions determine the outcome of SCI, and finding ways to prevent and treat these injuries.  There is also increasing interest in neural stem and progenitor cells and their potential application in cell replacement therapies for the treatment of complex neurological disorders such as SCI.

How is sexuality affected by spinal cord injury?
Sexual function, as in all other human bodily systems, is controlled by the central nervous system.  Thus, any injury to the central nervous system will affect sexual function.  The question is to what extent function and sensation will be affected with injuries at various levels and degrees of severity.

What does the spinal cord look like and what does it do?
The cord in humans has been likened to a coaxial cable, about one inch in diameter, and is a continuation of the brain.  It looks like firm, white fat; nerves extend out from the cord to the muscles, skin and bones, to control movement, receive sensations and regulate bodily excretions and secretions.  The 31 pairs of spinal nerves divide the cord into the following segments: 8 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar, 5 sacral, and 1 coccygeal.

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What happens when nerve fibers re-grow?
The nerve cell body remains intact, and only the "sending" or "receiving" fibers have to re-grow as longer extensions from the nerve cell body.  The peripheral nerves outside the brain and spinal cord can do this quite easily.  But within the brain and spinal cord there is much impediment to such re-growth.

What is a stem cell?
All mammals begin as two cells -- sperm and egg -- that combine into a single cell.  This single cell will divide exponentially into specialized cells making up various organs and systems -- all the tissues of a new organism.  Simply put, a stem cell is an immature cell that can become a different cell, or perhaps become one of many different cells.  Most stem cells also can renew themselves -- divide -- indefinitely.  These two characteristics are what present a new pathway to repairing damage to the human body caused by trauma, degeneration, and disease.