Being in a car accident can be tragic on its own, but sustaining an injury that will affect you for life can be devastating. Having a spinal cord injury may feel or seem like it has taken a toll on every aspect of your life. Spinal cord injuries generally cause loss of movement and sensation or permanent disability below the site of the injury. Car accidents account for more than 40% of spinal cord injuries each year. If you sustain a spinal cord injury your ability to control your limbs will depend on two things, the neurological level of the injury and the completeness of the injury. A complete spinal cord injury happens when you lose all feeling and the ability to control movements. An incomplete injury occurs when you still have some feeling or ability to control movements below the affected area of your spine. You may have symptoms such as pain and/or a stinging sensation in your spinal cord, loss of movement, loss of bowel or bladder control, loss of sensation, and difficulty breathing. If you are in a car accident the damage to your spinal cord will most likely be a traumatic injury, which is caused from a sudden blow to your spine that crushes, fractures, dislocated, or compresses one or more of your vertebrae. More damage can occur over the next few days or even weeks. Your never fibers around the injured area of your spinal cord can be effected which could possibly impair part of all of your corresponding nerves and muscles below the injury site. This is why you may lose movement or feeling in certain areas. Your doctor will want to test you for sensory function and movement to see if you do in fact have a spinal cord injury. If the doctor thinks your spinal cord is injured then you will probably need further tests such as an EMG, myelogram, MRI, or CT scan. Test will show exactly where you have been injured and the extent of your injury. If you do have an injured spinal cord, unfortunately there is no way to reverse the damage done. The only thing you can do is try to prevent further injuries from happening. You will most likely need to be admitted to the intensive care unit to see what kind of treatment can be done for you. Unfortunately, your spinal cord injury can not be healed, but surgery, medication, and immobilization will help. You will need a lot of support from your family and friends as this can be a very serious and life changing injury.
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