Brain and Spinal Cord Lawyers

Your spinal cord is an important bundle of nerves housed in the spine, or backbone. These nerves are the second tier of control after the brain. They deliver instructions from the brain to the rest of the body, and they gather sensory information from the body to send back to the brain for processing. Thus, if these nerves are harmed, you can lose mobility as well as sensory feeling.

There are two main types of spinal cord injuries. With complete damage, the nerve cord is so damaged that you lose everything—motion and sensation—below the site of the injury. On the other hand, with incomplete damage, you may patches or types of loss but still retain some movement or feelings. There are several different types of health conditions associated with spinal cord injuries that depend on the pattern of the loss.

The types of spinal cord injuries include:

Anterior cord syndrome — this occurs when there is damage to the back of the spinal cord, or the side facing out from your back. Typically, you can experience symptoms such as loss of movement and some sensations, but not all.
Central cord syndrome — this happens if the cervical, or neck, area of the spinal cord suffers from damage. You may experience loss of motion in your arms, as well as the loss of some sensory perception. Interestingly, the legs are not as affected at the arms.
Brown-Sequard syndrome — this pattern of injuries appears if one side of the spinal cord becomes damaged. On the same side of the injury, you may lose movement and sensation below the level of the injury. On the other side, you can experience a loss of temperature and pain sensations.

Additionally, you may have injuries to specific, singular nerves, which may only appear as a small area of damage. For instance, if the spinal nerve controlling the lower left leg is hurt, you can lose motion and sensation in that area only.

No matter what type of spinal cord injury you experience, it is a devastating injury that can have a long-lasting impact on your life. In some cases, it can prevent you from working and earning the wages you need to care for yourself and your loved ones. If you need financial help after a spinal cord injury, you may be entitled to Social Security long-term disability benefits. To discuss your case, contact an Indiana long-term disability lawyer from the Charles D. Hankey Law Office, P.C., today.

Originally published here.

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