Spinal cord injuries are among the most frightening and traumatic medical conditions and complex legal cases a family can face.

The New York spinal cord injury lawyers and personal injury and wrongful death attorneys at Queller, Fisher, Washor, Fuchs & Kool have the medical and legal resources to assist you and your family in the wake of a spinal cord injury.

A spinal cord injury usually results from a traumatic blow to the spine that fractures or dislocates vertebrae. Injury occurs when the displaced bone fragments or material bruise or tear the spinal cord tissue.

An estimated 450,000 people are living in the United States with a spinal cord injury, with about 10,000 new cases each year. Young men, ages 16 to 30 account for 82 percent of cases.

Most common causes of spinal cord injuries include car accidents (36 percent), violence (29 percent) and falls (21 percent). Sports or recreational injury also account for significant numbers of spinal cord injuries.

Injuries are categorized:

• Partial spinal cord injury: Sometimes referred to as incomplete injury, this type of injury allows the patient to retain some sensation and possibly some function below the site of injury.
• Complete spinal cord injury: Is defined as total or near-total loss of sensation and function below the injury site. While the spinal cord is rarely completely severed, this diagnosis is used by doctors to describe patients with a large amount of damage to the spinal cord, which usually indicates it is unlikely that the patient will experience significant recovery.

Some injuries will allow complete recovery while other injuries will result in paraplegia (paralysis of lower body, including legs), or quadriplegia (paralysis of all four limbs).

Serious spinal cord injuries resulting in quadriplegia can also impact a patient’s ability to breathe, cough or clear the chest cavity.

Additionally, a number of medical complications can result from spinal cord injuries, which, if not properly diagnosed and treated by a medical professional, can complicate a patient’s medical prognosis and even lead to a New York medical malpractice claim as a result of treatment from a spinal cord injury.

Common medical complications resulting from spinal cord injuries include:

• Deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism (blood clots resulting from long periods of sitting or remaining stationary, which can be fatal when they dislodge and travel to the lungs).
• Urinary tract problems, such as incontinence, can lead to kidney infections and kidney and bladder stones.
• Pressure sores from lying or sitting in the same position for long periods of time.
• Autonomic dysreflexia, a condition that can result in stroke or seizure as a result of high blood pressure and a low heart rate.
• Lung and breathing problems, including pneumonia can result from spinal cord injuries.
• Muscle spasms.

Call the New York law office of Queller, Fisher, Washor, Fuchs & Kool at 212-406-1700.

Resources National Spinal Cord Injury Association: www.spinalcord.org
New York NSCIA: http://nycspinal.org/