Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries

The spinal cord and brain make up the central nervous system, which controls most of the functions of your body. There, the nerve fibers organize into peripheral nerves that extend to the rest of your body.

A spinal cord injury may stem from a sudden, traumatic blow to your spine that fractures, dislocates, crushes or compresses one or more of your vertebrae. It may also result from a gunshot or knife wound that penetrates and cuts your spinal cord. Additional damage usually occurs over days or weeks because of bleeding, swelling, inflammation and fluid accumulation in and around your spinal cord. Non-traumatic spinal cord injury may be caused by arthritis, cancer, blood vessel problems or bleeding, inflammation or infections, or disk degeneration of the spine.

In either case, the damage affects the nerve fibers passing through the injured area and may impair part or all of your corresponding muscles and nerves below the injury site. The majority of the time, spinal injuries occur in the neck (cervical) and lower back (thoracic and lumbar) areas. A thoracic or lumbar injury can affect leg, bowel and bladder control, and sexual function. A cervical injury may affect breathing as well as movements of your upper and lower limbs.

The most common causes of spinal cord injury in the United States are:

- Auto and motorcycle accidents are the leading cause of spinal cord injuries
- Acts of violence
- Slip or Falls
- Sports and recreation injuries
- Diseases such as cancer, infections, arthritis and inflammation of the spinal cord

If you or someone you love has suffered from a spinal cord injury, contact our service today. We can help put you in touch with experienced spinal cord injury attorneys in your area who can consult you about your rights and options in recovering what you have lost as a result of a spinal cord injury.