Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries

Damage to the spinal cord that results in a loss of function, mobility or feeling is known as Spinal Cord Injury (SCI). Some of the most frequent causes of SCI are traumatic incidents such as car accidents, gunshot wounds, falls, etc. Diseases like spina bifida, Friedreich's Ataxia and polio are also known to cause SCI. It is a common misconception that the spinal cord must be severed in order for loss of function to occur. SCI is very different from back injuries like ruptured disks or pinched nerves because people can break their back or neck, and yet not incur a spinal cord injury.

SCI injuries can be divided into two types, incomplete and complete. While complete means there is no function below the level of the injury on the spinal cord, an incomplete injury means there is some level of function. With today's advances of acute treatment of SCI, variations of incomplete injuries are becoming more common. Around 10,000 new cases of SCI occur every year, and 82% of them involve mails between the ages of 16-30. Motor vehicle accidents are the cause of 36%, violence accounts for 28.9% and falls are responsible for 21.2%. If you or someone you love has experienced a recent SCI injury, contact a Tucson spinal cord injury lawyer to seek help in getting the best medical care possible. A Tucson personal injury lawyer can provide legal guidance and representation for your injury claim, so call today.