Doctors and New York Spinal Injury Lawyers recognize four major types of thoracic spine injuries: compression, burst, flexion-distraction, and fracture-dislocation.
Compression fractures are also known as wedge fractures. This is the most common type of thoracic spine fracture. When the spine is bent forward or backward at the time the injury occurs, the front or side of the vertebra is crushed by the force.
Burst fractures occur in a similar manner, except the entire vertebra is crushed, often causing splinters of bone to enter the spinal cord. Burst fractures rarely occur in the upper thoracic, high on the upper back, due to the curving shape of the region, but they do happen where the thoracic becomes the lumbar, or lower, section of the back, Injury Lawyers have discovered. Burst fractures often cause a loss of motor, sensory, and/or reflex function.
Flexion-distraction fractures are caused by the separation (or distraction) of the vertebra when the spine is flexed forcefully and rapidly, as in a car accident. This type of injury rarely causes thoracic injury, except for when a seatbelt is worn high without a shoulder harness. A slip and fall accident can cause any of these injuries. in The Bronx and Queens, hospitals are always expecting these injuries and are prepared to treat them in the proper way.
Fracture-dislocations are the cause of most spinal cord injuries, NYC Spinal Injury Lawyers have learned. About a sixth of these occur in the thoracic region of the spin. This type of injury is characterized by displacement (dislocation) of the vertebrae. These are unstable injuries and often cause spinal cord injuries that result in paralysis in the lower body in a high percentage of victims that suffer this type of injury.
The Office of Stephen Bilkis and Associates can offer you support and guidance as well as a free consultation when you contact us at 1-800-NY-NY-LAW. We have offices in N York City, including Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island and The Bronx and in Nassau County, Suffolk County and Westchester County.