Suffolk County

Published on: March 20, 2012

This is a case of a vehicular accident which has resulted in fatality

by Stephen Bilkis

This is a case of a vehicular accident which has resulted in spinal chordfatality. According to a source, the accident happened on October 30, 2004. At approximately noon of that unfortunate day, Mr. Clayton Sprague, a driver employed by C&J Energy Savers was driving along Jerusalem Ave. He was on his way to deliver goods to one of C&J’s customers. Mr. Sprague was driving a 1987 Ford Diesel tanker. According to investigation, the tanker had a approximate load capacity of 33,000 pounds when fully loaded. My. Sprague’s load at that time was only 2,740 pounds which was within the allowable weight of the tanker. It was also found out during the investigation that Mr. Sprague was driving well within the speed limit because he did not have a deadline or specific delivery time. It was also noted that during his travel along Jerusalem Ave., he stayed on the right lane the entire time.

Still according to reports that reached the police, as Sprague was approaching the red light at the intersection, he slowed down and he had no problems with his breaks. He proceeded with caution until he passed by A. Holly Nursing Home when he noticed two cars travelling along side each other on the east bound lanes of Jerusalem Ave. He did not notice either car signalling to make either a right or left turn. He also did not notice that either car had its headlights on which may indicate a problem. He noticed later on that Maurice Minor’s (the victim) car continued in the left lane but getting dangerously close to the tanker. When Minor’s car was only about 10 feet away from the tanker, it suddenly shifted lanes and went directly westbound in front of the tanker.

Based on the findings of a lawyer who practices in Nassau and Suffolk, Sprague immediately applied his breaks but because of the proximity of Minor’s car to the tanker, there was nothing much Sprague could’ve done. The tanker hit the Minor’s car sending it about 40 to 50 feet away. It was very fortunate that it both Minor’s car and the tanker did not hit anything else in the process.

Published on: March 8, 2012

One of Five Explosion Cases Reaches Settlement with BP

by Stephen Bilkis

Europe’s second-largest oil company, BP Plc., settled one of the five cases set to go to trial last September on the day the trial was to start. The case concerns an explosion that occurred at its Texas Refinery in 2005.

The two sons of a 26-year-old man who killed himself about six weeks after the explosion, settled with the corporation the night before trial was to start. The settlement was for an undisclosed amount, both sides said. That leaves four claims for the first trial.

The March 2005 blast killed 15 and injured hundreds with spinal injury.

Published on: February 23, 2012

A Person’s Medical History could give Important Details into Thoracic Spinal Injuries

by Stephen Bilkis

Before a person can be treated for a thoracic spinal injury, a doctor has to diagnosis them with the trauma. It is important that if you believe you have suffered a spinal injury or have any of the following symptoms listed below to contact your doctor immediately. Treatment can greatly reverse the injury in many cases several hours have the trauma, a doctor affirmed.

A doctor will want to talk to the individual or family members to figure out if the person has had any recent trauma that could cause back problems. Falls, sport-related activities, vehicle accidents, and violence are the four most common causes of thoracic spinal injuries. A major car accident could cause more damage than just totaling a car. Head-on collisions or rollovers are mishaps doctors should know about. Accidents while on motorcycles, bicycles, and hit and runs could produce spinal injuries.

With thoracic spinal injuries, several symptoms will develop that a doctor needs to know about immediately. Even if the symptoms have disappeared or improved, your doctor will want to know about any tenderness or pain while moving. In addition, your doctor will ask about any numbness or tingling in the arms or legs. Speak up if you have any weird sensations in your legs. It is common for individuals who are completely paralyzed to have sensations in the anus or legs and even to move their legs, a study expresses.

Published on: February 21, 2012

Those with Spinal Injuries May be Prone to Pressure Sores

by Stephen Bilkis

While there are many people who have suffered spinal cord injuriesand have gone on to a full recovery, there are also many who must live the rest of their lives with decreased mobility due to their injuries like a herniated disc. In one doctor’s many years of experience dealing with these types of injuries, we have learned that people who have suffered from spinal cord injuries must take care to prevent pressure sores.

Although pressure sores have many names associated with them, once you have one it can take months to heal if not properly cared for. The investigator knows that pressure sores are caused by the loss of blood flow to an area of the skin that results in the skin or underlying tissue dying. This is often caused when pressure is applied to the skin area as you rest, especially if the area is somewhat bony. This is a problem with anyone who must lie or sit for extended periods, and especially when there is a loss of feeling in an area. Hospitals and doctors in Nassau and Suffolk Counties try to be sensitive to this problem and act accordingly.

It is recommended that if you have a spinal cord injury either you or your caregiver should check for a red area on your skin, as this is usually a sign that a pressure sore is beginning. If the redness dissipates after about 30 minutes after releasing the pressure it should be ok, but if the redness persists then a there is a strong likelihood that a pressure sore is forming. For those with dark skin, there will likely be a change in skin color, which may become develop into dry, flaky, and even a little lighter in color than normal.

Published on: February 2, 2012

Paralyzed Veterans Urge Congress to Leave VA Alone

by Stephen Bilkis

The Paralyzed Veterans of America’s president appeared before Congress to urge the legislative body away from affecting their health care.

“Without a doubt, the Department of Veteran Affairs is the most effective health-care provider for veterans. The VA’s specialized services, including its system of spinal cord injury (SCI) care, are incomparable resources that are not duplicated in the private sector. These services are being threatened by proposed cost-cutting measures, the drive toward so-called ‘management efficiencies’ and, unfortunately, through politics,” the Paralyzed Veterans’ president told a researcher.

Using both oral and written statements, the president pled his case before the Senate and House Veterans’ Affairs Committees. He urged immediate action on three main points. The first was the lack of staff at hospitals, especially nurses. According to Paralyzed Veterans, there are 140 nurses less than the minimum requirement for nursing personnel delivering care at the bedside. Secondly, the shortages in staff lead to fewer beds. The VA is in need of more nurses, physicians, psychologists, social workers, and therapists, but because of the lack there were 288 unavailable SCI beds in the VA system. Finally, there is a lack of long-term care when it comes to veterans who suffer spinal cord injury or dysfunction. There is no specialized SCI long-term care beds west of the Mississippi and only 150 beds in the entire VA system.

Published on: January 26, 2012

Kids Continue to Risk Grave Injury

by Stephen Bilkis

Professional athletes can perform amazing feats. Not too long ago, NBA star Blake Griffon slam-dunked a basketball as he leapt over a car. While these acts are impressive, doctors know, as well as anyone, that young people will try to emulate them, at least to some extent. Lacking both the judgment and skill of professional players, this can very well lead to spinal injuries. A life that has just started out could easily be made much harder in one moment of playfulness.

Such attempts are easy to find on YouTube. The website has a great many videos of kids suffering horrific-looking accidents while riding skateboards, sledding, or attempting parkour tricks seen in movies. This is true, of course, for basketball as well. It is easy to find numerous incidents of people attempting to increase their jump heights by springing from the back of a teammate. Usually, the result is fairly humorous. A pair of people fall to the ground, the ball doesn’t get anywhere near the hoop, and everyone laughs. Many of these videos show a lot worse and they often show the failed attempt without every showing what happened afterward.

YouTube has a number of videos where the person attempting to make the basketball shot from the back of a friend not only misses, but misses catastrophically. Instead of just falling to the ground, the basketball player misses the hoop entirely and falls to the ground, often right on his head. A direct impact such as that, with the full weight of the body falling from a height suddenly on the neck, can easily lead to spinal injury, as doctors know all too well. It is never easy to determine the effects such an impact might have. It is possible no damage will be done, but it is just as possible the blow could lead to paralysis. It could also lead to any number of problems in between, such as a weakened spinal cord or back and neck pain that could last for a lifetime. doctors in Nassau and Suffolk Counties are aware of this and warn their patients against reckless and unsupervised stunts.

Published on: January 23, 2012

Blue Food Dye May Hold Spine Recovery Secrets says a Rochester School

by Stephen Bilkis

Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center have made an amazing discovery. The blue food dye known as Brilliant Blue G, or BBG, responsible for blue M&Ms and blue Gatorade alike, may actually reduce spinal injury damage.

This is a breath of new hope for those who have suffered spinal injuries. The effects of something so simple as blue food dye may one day provide those who are currently wheelchair-bound to stand again.

The University of Rochester Medical Center researchers and hospitals in Nassau and Suffolk injected the dye into rats suffering spinal cord injuries – and the rats regained the ability to walk, though they did so with a limp, according to reports. It also had another side-effect; it turned the rats blue, at least temporarily.

Published on: January 17, 2012

New Spinal Cord Injury Research Could Lead to New Treatments

by Stephen Bilkis

A new research study by a Canadian researcher is learning new details about some previously unknown information about the human spinal cord, a researcher recalls. While there have been several spinal research studies over the years, what sets this study apart is that he has learned something that could improve the way in which lumbar spinal cord injuries are treated.

The researcher has stated that the spinal cord is described in physiology books as a relay system. However, according to his research, the spinal cord processes information in similar fashion as the brain. The scientist also learned that his research seeks to examine the spinal cord injury, more specifically the areas above and below the injury in order to “map” the area to determine the injuries nature and be able to measure how effective the treatment is.

His research is expected to be a guide to future spinal cord injury treatment procedures once the methods do become available. An as of yet unknown method of bridging a spinal cord injury, called bridging, is hoped to become available once research has advanced enough to learn how it can be done. The current research that is sometimes referred to as “spinal mapping” is expected to be instrumental in accurately locating the spinal cord injury that needs to be bridged.

Published on: January 10, 2012

Four Major Types of Thoracic Spine Injuries Experienced

by Stephen Bilkis

The thoracic spine is the upper back and is the most stable part of the spine. It is the longest section of the spine and because it has the support of the ribcage and ribs it is extremely well protected. When injuries to the thoracic spine do occur, they are caused by motor accidents, sport accidents, or violence. Most of the damage to the thoracic spine occurs in the bottom half of the thoracic spine, a doctor said.

There are four major types of thoracic spine injuries being a compression, burst, flexion-distraction, and fracture-dislocation. Of the four types, a compression spinal injury is the most common fracture in the thoracic spine. This injury occurs when the upper back is curved forward or sideways when the accident or violence occurs. When the back is bent forward, the front or side of the vertebrae is crushed in the impact. A compression injury is also called a wedge fracture, a doctor mentioned.

A burst fracture is similar to a compression fracture. However, the main difference is that the entire vertebra is crushed instead of a small portion of it. The vertebra is evenly crushed by the trauma. When a burst injury occurs, the vertebra is pushed into the spinal cord causing loss of motor, sensory, and reflex functions. It is rare for a burst fracture to occur because of the curve of the spine, but they do happen. The most common incident that causes a burst or compressed fracture is when someone falls from height and lands on their buttock or feet, a report stated.

Published on: December 30, 2011

Young Men under 32 High Risk for Spinal Injuries

by Stephen Bilkis

Research has found that accidents often result in thoracic spine fractures. There are several groups of people at risk for suffering from spinal fractures. The first are athletes they have a higher risk than people who are not involved in sports. Athletes involved in contact sports such as football or hockey, where it is typically for people to tackle or slam into you, should use caution and make sure that all protection gear is used at all times during practices, training and games. In addition, people who are involved in sport activities that have the possibility of falling are also at high risk. Sports such as high jump in track and field or rock climbing are examples of those activities, a researcher mentioned.

In addition, another group of people with a high risk of suffering from thoracic spine fractures is those who work at jobs with a danger of slipping and falling, a study stated. People in jobs such as working in construction or window washing should always use the proper restraints to protect themselves from falling.

The average age of people who damage their thoracic spine is 32. Over half, 55%, of the individuals injured are between the ages of 18 and 30 years old. US database listings showing that around 80% of injuries of this nature occur in males. Women who have transitioned into postmenopausal and have osteoporosis also have an increased risk for thoracic spine fractures.