What Does Life Look Like for Those with a Spinal Cord Injury?

A spinal cord injury will have a life-altering impact on the injured person. The severity and location of the injury will determine how much feeling or movement a person will have below the site of the injury. After the medical care, a person with a spinal cord injury will have to learn how to live with newly-imposed physical limitations. Their lives will be changed forever.

Each year in the United States, there are about 17,500 new cases of spinal cord injury (SCI). These numbers do not include those who die at the scene from a spinal cord injury. The average age of a spinal cord injury patient is 42 years old, and males account for 81% of new SCI cases. (National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center)

Health complications that often accompany a spinal cord injury

The higher the location of the injury on the spinal cord, the worse the consequences will be in the person’s ability to move and have sensation below the point of injury. With serious damage to the spinal cord, a person can experience complete paralysis and all function below the level of injury can be lost.

An SCI impairs the pathway of information between the body and the brain. The motor signals that come from the brain to direct the muscles to move are silenced or interrupted. The destruction of sensory nerve fibers causes the loss of physical sensation such as the ability to feel pain or the ability to tell the difference between hot or cold. Depending on location and severity, a spinal cord injury can limit bladder and bowel control, blood pressure, and sexual function.

Dealing with grief and mental health issues after an accident

It can be very difficult when you come to the realization that you will no longer be able to run and play with your children, you will not be able to rock climb, swim laps, or participate in any of the other physical activities that you once enjoyed. The changes in your body may begin to affect your mind, and you will naturally begin to grieve the life and health that you once enjoyed. Therefore, it is vital that you have access to counselors or some form of mental health practitioner who can support you in moving through the grieving period and then help you to find a way to make the most of the life you have now.

Adjusting to a new normal after a spinal cord injury

When you have an injury that affects every aspect of your life, you must learn how to adjust to a new normal way of living. You will have a new daily routine, and you will have to learn to adjust to new physical limitations. You may require help to do things that you have always been able to do on your own. This may cause frustration at first, but you will eventually adjust to the changes and get on with life.

The Spinal Cord Injury Model System (SCIMS) emphasizes the importance of focusing on rehabilitation in the early weeks and months after the injury. This will help you to learn what to expect for recovery. The SCIMS offers the following tips for adjusting well after a spinal cord injury:

• People who adjust well to SCI do not experience depression, or if they do, they feel better again quickly
• Have an effective coping strategy, a “fighting spirit,” and view your injury as a challenge to be overcome
• Accept your injury and learn to live with it
• Be resilient
• Seek purpose and meaning in life
• Stay connected to a support network
• Use resources to make your life better
• Stay flexible
• Solve problems

Adjusting to your new life after a spinal cord injury can be challenging. You might grieve the loss of the life you once had, and you might experience fear about what life will be like for you in the future. Making sure that you have support for your mental health and physical health is vital to making the most of your new life.

If you have suffered a spinal cord injury in an accident that was the result of someone else’s negligence, the compassionate, experienced Memphis spinal cord injury attorneys at Bailey & Greer, PLLC are here to help. They provide quality legal representation to the residents of Memphis, Jackson, and West Tennessee. You may call our office at 901-680-9777 or complete our contact form today.