If a person suffers an injury to their neck or back in an accident, spinal cord damage may be the result. The type of accident in which the accident victim is involved, along with the specific injury sustained, will dictate the complications that may ultimately arise from the injury.
In a serious accident, a person may sustain an injury to the cervical (upper) area of their spine, the thoracic (mid-spine) area, the lumbar (lower) region, or the sacral spinal region. Even if they are just soft tissue in nature, any of these injuries can lead to severe complications, symptoms, and problems that may last the rest of the accident victim’s life.
Of the different types of spinal injuries, cervical spinal injuries are arguably the most serious. The cervical region of a person’s spinal column (vertebrae C1 through C7) is closest to the accident victim’s head and brain. Victims of cervical spinal injuries may ultimately suffer from quadriplegia or tetraplegia, both of which are forms of paralysis.
Cervical spinal injuries can lead to other medical complications as well, including the loss of certain senses. Individuals who suffer these injuries may require one or more surgical procedures and extensive rehabilitation, including physical or occupational therapy, to recover some degree of functionality in the affected body parts. In some cases, depending on the circumstances, the victim of a cervical spinal injury may have to spend the remainder of their life in an extended care facility, such as a nursing home.
