Paraplegia

Published on: September 17, 2011

Spinal injury is not a static thing when it comes to prognosis

by Stephen Bilkis

Spinal injury is not a static thing when it comes to prognosis, New York Spinal Injury Lawyers have learned. The outcome can vary widely when there has been neurological damage. Bones heal completely in 8 to 16 weeks. The more the bones have changed shape, the more likely it is that there will be chronic pain, or that pain will come in the later stages of recovery. Subsequent surgical treatments may help with neurological difficulties caused by injuries that harmed, but did not break, the spinal cord. In cases where the spinal cord has been severed, below-the-waist paraplegia is very likely, and the disability will be permanent.

Naturally, a spine fracture with attendant spinal cord injury will have a great affect on an individual’s life. Rehabilitation must take all this into account, New York Spinal Injury Lawyers insist. It should address functional status in all aspects of the patient’s life, including home, work, and community.

The specifics of rehabilitation will depend upon the type of fracture, the extent to which the spinal cord was involved, and repair of the fracture itself. The stability of the fracture should also be known before any rehabilitation can begin. Rehab facilities in Westchester and Staten island have been made aware of these situations.

Published on: August 18, 2011

28-year-old man who suffered spinal cord injury in a single propeller engine airplane crash

by Stephen Bilkis

New York Spinal Injury Lawyers have learned of the case of a 28-year-old man who suffered spinal cord injury in a single propeller engine airplane crash on May 13th, 2008. He sustained extensive spinal cord injuries and initially treated at the Hospital Mexico in Costa Rica on the same day as the crash. Paraplegia was certainly a possibility in this case.

The spine was stabilized using metal rods and bone fragments were removed from the spinal canal. The patient remained at the Hospital Mexico for a week before being moved to the National Rehabilitation Center in Costa Rica for four weeks. The patient had to wear a harness to support his back. He also had to remain lying down and his physical therapy was focused on stretching exercises. Drugs were administered for the pain, which was both acute and constant. Doctors in Staten Island and Westchester County have taken note of these treatments.

He was giving cell treatment in three cycles between October 31 and November 20, 2008, January 21-30, 2009, and July 1-10, 2009, New York City Spinal Injury Lawyersdiscovered, using stem cells from placenta and umbilical cord blood. There were no adverse affects shown from injections directly into the spinal cord. Doctors did note, however, an increase in strength during the observation period, with the final observation in January of 2010.

Published on: August 3, 2011

Spinal cord injury, or SCI, can be classified as complete or incomplete

by Stephen Bilkis

Spinal cord injury, or SCI, can be classified as complete or incomplete, according to New York Spinal Injury Lawyers. A complete spinal cord injury is one that causes permanent paralysis. Incomplete means the injury has the potential of neurologic improvement. Almost half of all spinal cord injuries are complete, which means total loss of motor and sensory function at and below the level of the injury. In general, complete spinal cord injuries in the thoracic region of the spine (mid to upper back), result in paralysis of the lower extremities, or paraplegia.

Incomplete SCI has varied neurologic aspects. There are three major syndromes that occur with thoracic spine fractures, New York Spinal Injury Lawyers have discovered. These are anterior cord syndrome, Brown-Sequard syndrome, and central cord syndrome.

Anterior cord syndrome causes a loss of motor function and pain and/or a feeling of heat from injury to the front (anterior) or the spinal cord. The limbs are still fully functional because sensory input remains. Doctors in The Bronx and Manhattan have to treat these injuries with great care and attention.

Published on: July 13, 2011

Settlement Reached between Gymnast and Gym

by Stephen Bilkis

December 2006 saw a settlement reached between a 17-year-old gymnast and the gym she practiced gymnastics at. She was injured at the facility and suffered paralysis in 2005.

Details of the case were sealed to the public. “This is a natural occurrence when one or more of the parties involved are a minor,” a New York Spinal Injury Attorney reported. Also attributed to the closed files, the parents and the girl’s attorney decided not to comment to the press at the time of the arraignment.

The Circuit Judge presiding over the case put his stamp of approval on the agreement.

Published on: June 24, 2011

1910 Legal Cases Shine Light on Compensation Proceedings of the Early 20th Century

by Stephen Bilkis

An employee of two bakers in Wellington was going about his usual rounds when the harness on the horse he was driving broke. The horse escaped and ran clear of the cart, and the employee was violently thrown to the ground. Sustaining a severe spinal injury, he suffered partial paralysis of his legs.

No one questioned the diagnosis of the attending physician. Officials involved in the case said the employee had no hope of recovery.

Directly before this verdict in this case, a compensation settlement of 303£ had been agreed upon, and parties for the bakery had been paying the man in weekly payments. This case asked the Court to order the payment of the balance to be paid in full. The Court judged in favor of the plaintiff and ordered the payment of the remaining 298£.

Published on: June 20, 2011

School Administrator Worried about Football Injury Award

by Stephen Bilkis

In 1982 jury, in Seattle, Washington, awarded $6.3 million to a high school football player who sustained serious injuries while playing for the school’s team.

That judgment worried one school official. He worried that school boards across the country would be prompted to review the benefits of sports programs unfairly against the possible costs of lawsuits. Programs that could lead to injury, he argued, could possibly be unnecessarily cut.

At the time of the settlement, the claimant was 21 years old.

Published on: June 17, 2011

Accidental Bombing on U.S. Soil Leaves Family Devastated, 36 Years Ago

by Stephen Bilkis

“We heard the plane coming,” the plaintiff recalled. “You know when the bomb bays doors open, the bombs start to whistle. And when you hear the whistling, you know something’s going to be a bustin’.”

It took 36 years, but that man was finally compensated for the injury he received during the accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down in 1944 when the man’s spinal cord was severed by shrapnel. An errant bomber dropped 36 fragmentation bombs on his family’s home and land, missing his target by 10 miles. Paraplegia cases are common in severe accidents which happen in Nassau County and New York City.

He clearly remembers what the incoming bombs sounded like. He also remembers running. He ran almost to the front porch of his uncle’s farmhouse. Those steps proved to be his last steps – ever, taken at 12 years of age.

Published on: June 15, 2011

Settlement Reached between Gymnast and Gym

by Stephen Bilkis

December 2006 saw a settlement reached between a 17-year-old gymnast and the gym she practiced gymnastics at. She was injured at the facility and suffered paralysis in 2005.

Details of the case were sealed to the public. “This is a natural occurrence when one or more of the parties involved are a minor,” a New York Spinal Injury Attorneyreported. Also attributed to the closed files, the parents and the girl’s attorney decided not to comment to the press at the time of the arraignment.

The Circuit Judge presiding over the case put his stamp of approval on the agreement.

Published on: June 14, 2011

Paralyzed Teacher Returns to Classroom

by Stephen Bilkis

A specialized spinal injury rehabilitation unit’s expertise and unique approach helps a 28-year-old P.E. teacher return to his job at school.

When the P.E. teacher broke his neck in a vacation accident, just hours after arriving in Spain, his excellent physical fitness and positive outlook helped him return to work seven months later. Teaching sports theory to teenagers at Bradfield College, near Reading, though left him exhausted. He questioned his future career until he turned to the help offered by Royal Buckingham Hospital (RBH). A New York Spinal Injury Law Office reports that the RBH is the UK’s leading spinal injury rehabilitation clinic.

Hospitals in Queens and Staten Island deal with paraplegia all the time and doctors in these areas have great experience in dealing with these tragedies.

Published on: June 9, 2011

First Patient to Receive Stem-Cell Treatment Reports Recovering Feeling in His Paralyzed Legs

by Stephen Bilkis

The first patient to receive a human embryonic stem-cell treatment for paralysis from a spinal-cord injury says he has regained some feeling in his legs.

The 21-year-old young man from Alabama was partially paralyzed in a Sept. 25 car crash. Now he has reported that he’s begun to feel slight sensation where he had none before — for example, a sense of relief when a bowling ball is lifted from his lap or discomfort when he pulls on hairs on his legs.

A New York Spinal Injury Lawyer cautions that the information is anecdotal at the moment and not scientific, but it is still very exciting for the stem-cell researcher who invented the procedure. “It’s an extraordinarily exciting outcome,” he said. “One that is very hopeful for the treatment.” The doctor echoes the caution though, indicating that it is far too early in the clinical trial for conclusive conclusions to be made.