Spinal cord injuries aren’t a single-event problem

| Apr 5, 2019 | Motorcycle Accidents

A motorcyclist who is involved in a crash can suffer a host of injuries. Some of these, such as a spinal cord injury, are very severe. It is imperative that anyone who is driving takes appropriate steps to watch for motorcycles so that these incidents might be avoided. Unfortunately, not everyone is going to be careful, so people run the very real risk of being struck while they are riding their bike.

Many people think of a spinal cord injury as a single event, but this isn’t the case. The initial impact begins a chain reaction that can devastate the victim. When the accident happens, the spinal nerve cells are killed or damaged. The release of toxins at the site of the injury and the lack of oxygen to the area can increase the damage to the spinal cord. This ongoing spinal shock happens in the days after the initial injury.

For many individuals, there are some effects of the injury that persist in the beginning. As the swelling begins to abate, there might be some function that returns in the impacted areas. There seems to be a direct correlation between how much function is recovered for partial spinal cord injury victims and the speed and quality of the initial response to the injury.

The road to recovery after a spinal cord injury is long. It can take 18 months or longer for maximum recovery. During this time, there is a need for extensive medical care, therapy and personal care. These can be expensive, so the victim might choose to seek compensation from the driver who struck them while they were riding their motorcycle.