Dealing with a spinal cord injury is challenging on its own, but it becomes even more difficult if you experience complications during your recovery. Sadly, spinal cord injuries often lead to complications, some of which are life-threatening. Here’s a look at the most common spinal cord injury complications:
Pressure Sores
A spinal cord injury can affect your ability to move certain parts of your body. As a result, many spinal cord injury victims are bed-ridden or confined to a wheelchair. This means they stay in the same position for a long period of time, which can cause pressure sores to develop on the skin. If left untreated, these sores can become life-threatening.
Respiratory Issues
Spinal cord injury victims often experience pain when breathing or coughing. To avoid pain, they may take shallow breaths or fight the urge to cough. This may seem like a simple solution, but it can lead to serious respiratory issues, including pneumonia. This complication is often fatal, which is why it’s so important to work with a doctor to learn how to keep your respiratory system healthy after a spinal cord injury.
Circulatory Issues
A spinal cord injury can affect the circulation of blood throughout the body. Some victims may experience low blood pressure, whereas others will experience swelling in their limbs. But, these are far from the most serious circulatory complications. One of the most serious complications is a blood clot, which is common among victims that are bed-ridden or in wheelchairs. Blood clots can be life-threatening, especially if they develop in the deep veins found in your legs or become lodged in one of your lungs.
Autonomic Dysreflexia
Autonomic dysreflexia is another life-threatening complication of a spinal cord injury. This condition occurs when an irritant that occurs below the spinal cord injury such as a bladder infection or skin rash triggers the autonomic nervous system. This system tries to tell the brain about this irritant, but cannot relay the message because of the spinal cord injury. The system goes into overdrive as a result, leading to a rapid increase in blood pressure, flushed face, nausea, pounding headache, and a drop in heart rate.
Fortunately, some victims will not have to worry about this complication. The only victims that are at risk of developing this complication are those with an injury that is located at or above the sixth thoracic vertebrae.
Have you suffered a spinal cord as a result of another party’s negligence? If so, contact attorney Martin Gasparian as soon as possible. Mr. Gasparian will aggressively fight the at-fault party’s insurance company to ensure you are fully compensated for your devastating injuries. Schedule a free consultation regarding your case by calling 559-203-3333 or submitting your information at MaisonLaw.com.
