- Spinal Cord Accidents
- A car accident that causes injuries to the spine – including the vertebrae, ligaments or discs of the spinal column, or to the spinal cord itself – can result in paralysis that affects muscles and nerves below the injury site. The spinal cord links the brain to the rest of the body’s central nervous system. A spinal cord injury (SCI) can cause loss of movement, sensation and control of bodily functions, such as breathing or bowel movements.
- About 373,000 people in the United States are living with a spinal cord injury, according to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC). Since 2010, 36.5 percent of newly reported SCI cases were the result of motor vehicle crashes, making car, truck and motorcycle accidents the leading cause of spinal and paralysis injuries, ahead of falls and physical assault.
- Spinal cord injuries of any kind may result in one or more of the following signs and symptoms:
- Loss of movement
- Loss or altered sensation, including the ability to feel heat, cold and touch
- Loss of bowel or bladder control
- Exaggerated reflex activities or spasms
- Changes in sexual function, sexual sensitivity and fertility
- Pain or an intense stinging sensation caused by damage to the nerve fibers in your spinal cord
- Difficulty breathing, coughing or clearing secretions from your lungs
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