Understanding Spinal Cord Injuries with Isaac Zisckind
#AskIsaacZisckind
In the majority of cases, spinal cord injuries results physical trauma such as car accidents, slip and falls and sports injuries. When a spinal cord injury occurs usually a doctor who treats the injury will classify it by the nerve location and how much damage there is. By way of background the spinal cord is surrounded by protracted set of rings of bone called vertebrae. The vertebrae and nerves are numbered as following. The cervical area of the spine contain seven vertebrae C1 – C7 and eight cervical nerves C1 – C8. Cervical injuries usually cause loss of function in the chest arms and legs area sometime cervical injuries can also affect bowel and bladder control as well. The next segment is classified as the Thoracic. This area contains 12 vertebrae T1 – T 12 and 12 nerves T1-T12. Injuries in this area usually affect the chest and the legs and sometimes breathing. The next segment is called the lumbar area. This area contains five lumbar vertebrae L1 – L5 and 5 nerves L1–L5. Injuries in this area usually affect the hips and legs. Lumbar injuries can also affect bowel and bladder control. The last area is called the sacral. This area has five vertebrae S1 –S5 and five nerves S1 – S5. Usually the higher the damage that occurs on the spinal cord the more of the body that is affected. for example if you sustain a injury in the cervical area that is severe, it is likely to cause some paralysis which can be classified as tetraplegia or quadriplegia.
Types of Spinal Cord Injuries
The American spinal injury Association throughout North America classify spinal cord injuries in the following ways.
A- complete: no feeling or movement of the areas of the body that are controlled by the lowest sacral nerves. People with complete spinal cord injuries usually do not have control of bowel or bladder function.
B- incomplete: feeling but no movement below the level of injury including segments that control bowel or bladder function.
C- and complete feeling and movement below the level of injury more than half of the key muscles can move but not against gravity. For example raising your hand your mouth when sitting up is not possible.
D- incomplete: feeling of movement below the level of injury more than half of key muscles can move against gravity.
E- feeling and movement are normal.
| According to various sources, severe spinal cord injuries were labelled as catastrophic even in ancient times. It is long believed to be untreatable however spinal cord injuries have seen great improvements in the middle of the 20th century. It is well-known that spinal cord injuries require substantial long-term is a call in occupational therapy. Usually the first year after a severe trauma, victims will work with therapists, occupational therapists, recreational therapists, nurses, social workers, psychologists under the supervision of a physiatrist. This is why it is very important that somebody who is suffering from a spinal cord injury surrounds themselves with the best available team. |
OUR TEAM
- Jeffrey Hum
- Tofunmi Adeyeye
- Alessia De Gasperis
- Karan Joshi
- Amandeep Chawla
- Jeremy Tsoi
- Kimiya Razin
- Bilal Hashimy
- Qaisar Yaqub
- Shir Zisckind
- Gray Sinden
- Shelly Bard
- Christian Brown
- Daly Canie
- Mohsen Heydari
- Tanveer Sohal
- Erin MacDonald
- Prianka Virdi
- Noah Brownstone
- Justin Kaminker
- Harinder S. Bhatti
- Craig Yargeau
- Kiran Birk
- Amit Singh
- Andrei Teju
- Maria Zahid
- Matthew Douglas
- Jacob Elyk
- Harry Gill
- Aria Nejatali
- Jesse Singh
- Kristina Olivo
- Egi Bano
- Ainsa Hepburn
- Cam Woolley
- Charles Thompson
- Alexandra McCallum
- John Sime
- Allan Cocunato
- Patrick Poupore
- Erika Henderson
- Marina Korshunova
- Brandon Handelman
- Regeena Alapat
- Ryna Kim
- Natalia Poliakova
- Isaac Zisckind
- Manpreet Bhogal
- Mathura Santhirasegaram
- Nikolai Singh
- Sandra Zisckind
- Jeremy Diamond
- Michael Blois
- Darryl Singer
- Nadia Condotta
- Tinashe Madzingo
- Megan Armstrong
- Veronica D’Angelo
- Corey J. Sax
- Scott Tottle
- Steven Wilder
- TJ Gogna
- Jillian Carrington
- Joshua Himel
- Simon Diamond
- Cory Rubin
- Simon Mariani
- Brandon Greenwood
- Basil Bansal
- Nastassia Ivanova
- Tania Fleming
- George Laloshi
- Patrycja Majchrowicz
- Diana Iakossavas
- Dior Africa
- Alex Ragozzino
- Liana Saccucci
- Richard J. Chang
Diamond & Diamond British Columbia Head Office
1727 West Broadway, Suite 400, Vancouver, British Columbia
Barrie
168 Bayfield Street
Calgary
1331 Macleod Trail SE, Suite 645
Edmonton
4246 97 Street NW, Unit 103
Halifax
1701 Hollis St
London
256 Pall Mall St, Suite 102
Oshawa
50 Richmond Street E, Unit # 108 B
Ottawa
955 Green Valley Crescent, Unit 315
Sudbury
31 Larch Street, Unit 300
Timmins
120 Cedar Street South, Unit 002A
Toronto
255 Consumers Road, 5th Floor
Vancouver
1727 West Broadway, Suite 400
Windsor
13158 Tecumseh Rd. E. Unit 3B
Additional Areas Served
Ontario
Alberta
British Columbia
Maritimes
© 2021 Diamond and Diamond Lawyers LLP. All Rights Reserved.