Spinal Cord Avulsion in Children
I’m Ed Smith, a Personal Injury Lawyer in Sacramento. Anytime people get into a car, they run the risk of being involved in an auto accident and sustaining a traumatic injury. Among the various injuries that people can suffer, spinal cord injuries are some of the most severe. The spinal cord is a bundle of nerves that runs from the base of the skull to the top of the pelvis. Along the way, the spinal cord sends out multiple nerves to various parts of the body. These nerves transmit motor signals that allow people to move their arms and legs. These nerves also carry sensory signals back towards the brain which allows people to sense temperature, pain, and pressure. According to statistics published by the Wall Street Journal:
- About 36 percent of spinal cord injuries are caused by car accidents.
- About 29 percent are due to falls.
- Another 15 percent are caused by violence or other criminal activity.
- Around 10 percent occur while playing sports.
Even within the realm of spinal cord injuries, there are many different types of damage that people can experience. Recently, a case report was published exploring a kind of injury called spinal cord avulsion. When this happens in children, the consequences can be dire and should not be missed.
Spinal Cord Injury in Children
The report described children who had sustained severe spinal cord injuries. All of the children were hurt in a serious auto accident. When emergency personnel arrived at the scene, they noted that the children were restrained by a rear lap belt only. The children did not have any form of shoulder restraint, leaving them at risk of seat belt syndrome. Based on the physical exam findings, there was concern that the children had sustained a spinal cord injury. They were taken in for imaging and found to have suffered a Chance fracture with damage to the ligaments of the spinal cord.
Complete Avulsion of the Spinal Cord
The children were taken to an operating room for repair of their injuries. The surgeons found that the lower spinal cord was completely visible to the observers. The nerves had been cut and had herniated through the fascia of the spinal cord. This means that the nerves of the cord had been disconnected from their attachments with the cord itself. This type of injury is called a spinal cord avulsion. For many patients who sustain a spinal cord avulsion, they end up losing significant motor and sensory function depending on the location of the injury. Some of the issues that children with a spinal cord avulsion may experience include:
- Loss of mobility
- Loss of bowel or bladder control
- Loss of sensory function along various parts of the body
The actual symptoms of the injury will vary from case to case. The children all had very different outcomes because their injuries occurred in various locations of the spine. All of the children had some loss of motor and sensory function as a result of their injuries.
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Personal Injury Lawyers in Sacramento
I’m Ed Smith, a Personal Injury Lawyer in Sacramento. If your child has suffered a spinal cord injury following a severe accident, please contact me at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400. I welcome the opportunity to share friendly, free advice.
I am a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum.
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Image Sourcing: The photo placed at the top of this page was found first on Unsplash. Reproduction of the image has occurred here with permission
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