Your spinal cord is the hub of your central nervous system. Nerves from the brain spider out from your spinal column and help you move everything in your body.
Damage to it is a delicate subject. Depending on the location and the severity, you may find yourself dealing with a whole new way of living your life.
SCIs up and down the column
Spinal cord injuries mainly result from motor vehicle accidents and falls. Some experience them from violence, sports injuries or medical malpractice.
According to Disabled World, your spinal column has three main regions: the lumbar, thoracic and cervical vertebrae. The higher up on the spinal column, the more likely your injury has an effect on nerves higher up on the body — and everything below that.
This may result in nerve damage that affects how your extremities interpret signals. Tactile and heat senses may feel muted or painful.
If your SCI is incomplete, you may have some remaining function. If it is complete, you may suffer complete paralysis.
SCI recovery and costs
Handling an SCI is a big task for anyone. It often involves surgery and recovery in the first year. From there, you have years of adjusting with the help of accessibility tools.
The financial costs are another thing to handle. Depending on the severity, you may owe hundreds of thousands of dollars in healthcare costs while missing out on lost wages.
While this may sound intimidating, there is information and support out there to help you recover these costs to help you live your best life after an SCI.
