Spinal Injury Lawyer Blog 24/7

Published on: December 28, 2011

A U.S. Army Science Board study from 2001 recommended that soldiers should carry no more than 50 pounds for any length of time

by Stephen Bilkis

A U.S. Army Science Board study from 2001 recommended that soldiers should carry no more than 50 pounds for any length of time. The Army chief of staff agreed, and hoped to reach that goal by 2010. Unfortunately, studies have learned that soldiers carry much more than that, even today.

The simple weight that all soldiers must carry is leading to a number of musculoskeletal injuries that erodes the readiness of the military. The wars will someday come to an end, but these spinal injuries could remain for a lifetime and cost a great deal of money and time to treat, according to doctors.

A study by a John Hopkins University and two others in Manhattan and Long Island researched revealed that nearly a third of all medical evacuations from Iraq and Afghanistan from 2004 to 2007 were due to musculoskeletal, connective-tissue, or spinal injuries. Experts estimate that is around double the number of evacuations from combat injuries. The number of soldiers who were retired from the Army due to musculoskeletal conditions increased almost ten times from 2003 to 2009.

Published on: December 25, 2011

Study shows dangers of spinal cord injuries

by Stephen Bilkis

Spinal cord injuries can either be complete or incomplete paralysis. With a complete spinal cord injury individuals are not expected to improve. Of all of the spinal cord injuries, 50% of them are complete. When this occurs, the individual loses complete motor and sensory function where the injury occurred. Usually, paraplegia can occur at the point of the injury or below it. Most spinal cord injuries cause lower limbs to be paralyzed, a source mentioned.

An incomplete spinal cord injury can occur. There are three types of syndromes similar to thoracic spine injuries. These injuries can cause a variety of neurological deficits depending on the impact of the fracture on the spinal cord, a study stated. The three syndromes of an incomplete spinal cord injury can be anterior cord syndrome, Brown-Séquard syndrome, and central cord syndrome.

Anterior cord syndrome results in a failure of motor function and pain to happen. A loss of temperature sensation also occurs. The injury strikes in the front of the spinal cord. The limbs will regain their movement and equilibrium. The sensory inputs of the muscles and tendons are not affected by the injury. However, an individual with anterior cord syndrome does have to be cautious about what happens to the limbs after the injury to prevent bleeding or other injuries from occurring without the person realizing it, a doctor warned.

Published on: December 23, 2011

Military Is Heavy Burden to Soldiers

by Stephen Bilkis

United States soldiers have a great burden to bear – literally, according to studies. One such soldier wore all the typical gear – body armor, a vest and pack for his radio, batteries, food, water, flashlight, ammunition, and all the rest of the things he needed in the field. Together with his M4 rifle, all of his equipment weight 70 to 80 pounds and he could feel the weight keenly.

He was in pain, especially when his squad was under fire. Running or diving on the ground was especially excruciating, making his neck and shoulders burn intensely in agony. Some soldiers have suffered herniated discs.

The soldier has now been back in Washington State for two-and-a-half years, doctors have learned. He has been diagnosed with bone spurs in the vertebrae of his neck. The cause? A degenerative arthritic condition. The pain can be so intense that he has trouble getting out of bed in the morning.

Published on: December 20, 2011

Army medical personal have often turned to opiates to alleviate pain

by Stephen Bilkis

Many soldiers have suffered from the pain of carrying packs that could weight more than 100 pounds through difficult terrain, doctors have learned. Army medical personal have often turned to opiates to alleviate pain, but they are trying to reduce that tendency in recent years. An Army report even recommended some alternative measures, like chiropractic care, massage, meditation, and acupuncture.

A doctor trained in acupuncture told a confidant that these treatments have been a great help to many patients, helping them not only suffer less spinal pain, but use fewer narcotics.

“This has been more than what I hoped for,” the doctor told a colleague. One of her patients is a soldier who developed bone spurs and an arthritic condition due to carrying his heavy equipment load. The doctor inserted needles a quarter-inch deep into his neck and shoulder muscles, then hooked the needles to a mild electrical current, while shining an infrared lamp on him. The whole process only lasted 15 minutes.

Published on: December 17, 2011

Military Strives to Provide Recovery to Spinal Injuries

by Stephen Bilkis

The military has been working hard to find new ways to treat musculoskeletal injuries, studies have learned. Teams of physical therapists and other specialists have been created by the Army to keep a closer eye on infantry brigades, and have implemented better screening techniques to find serious spinal injuries. Still, some soldiers say their injuries are often discounted by physician assistants, who are often the ones who see the soldiers first. These assistants determine who will get more extensive workups by doctors in military hospitals.

A sergeant in the Army with the 5th Stryker Brigade complained of a sore back during training. A physician assistant at the Madigan Army Medical Center was convinced the soreness was simply due to muscle pain.

The sergeant told an interested party that he had to pay out of his own pocket for an MRI, which showed he had a herniated disc. He went to Afghanistan in 2009 anyway, deciding to wait until returning to Washington state to be treated in summer 2010.

Published on: December 15, 2011

Football player with spinal cord injuries returns to playing

by Stephen Bilkis

While spinal cord injuries can be devastating and often life-altering, some people have managed to come back from being injured to continue on with their lives. This particular football player did and isn’t shy about telling others about his experiences. He sustained a spinal bruise last year and swore that no matter what, he would get back on the field, said the observer. He lived up to that promise to himself and is now lifting weights and running.

At the age of 33 years, many classify that as too old to be playing the brutal game of football, but that did not stop this man. Others thought it was time he packed it in. He figured otherwise and proved everyone wrong. Spinal bruising or cervical injury are serious injuries and if a player continues to play, he runs the very real risk of sustaining an even worse injury, explained the doctor. Fortunately, this footballer’s spinal cord healed well, and surgery was not necessary.

Not everyone is that fortunate. Those who have suffered a severe spinal cord injury, as the result of an accident caused by someone else’s negligence, may be eligible to file a personal injury lawsuit seeking compensation, suggested the expert in the field.

Published on: December 12, 2011

Utah Teen Severely Injured In Wrestling Match

by Stephen Bilkis

A benefit dinner was held recently in behalf of Heber, Utah student who suffered a severe neck injury while wrestling that left him with the possibility of permanent paralysis.

The high school senior, who attended Wasatch High School, was performing a wrestling move that he had done numerous times before. While performing this move, a vertebrae in his neck was dislocated, leaving him the possibility of life-long paralysis or paraplegia, stated a source.

His friends and family have stated that the high school senior has kept a positive outlook, and always has a smile on his face, even facing the future lifelong adversity. According to a witness, the high school wrestler has begun to feel some sensation in his arms, which has added to his feeling of elation. Hospitals in Brooklyn and Suffolk County have taken note of these developments.

Published on: December 8, 2011

Sciatic Pain Affects Many

by Stephen Bilkis

Many people know the agony of sudden sharp pains in the leg that seem to have no cause. Experts have heard about it from many clients. The pain is sometimes so awful that the client can barely stand or walk. Many of them have no idea what is happening to them, or that it is related to the spinal cord. It is called sciatica, and it involves the nerves. This condition is sometimes caused by slip and fall accidents.

According to doctors in New York City and Westchester County, sciatica is not so much a medical diagnosis, but a symptom of other problems in the lower back. Sciatica is what is known as a “radiculopathy” to doctors. It means a disc in the lower back has slipped from its position to put pressure on the radicular nerve (nerve root) in the lower back.

People between 30 and 50 years of age are most likely to suffer from sciatica. Sometimes, it is not caused by a specific injury, as it can just develop through time as general wear and tear on the lower spine. That does not mean, however, that it cannot be caused by injury.

Published on: December 3, 2011

Spine Injury doesn’t keep woman from dancing

by Stephen Bilkis

A 28-year-old woman suffered a terrible spinal cord injury in a car accident in 2008, breaking one of her vertebra and destroying the nerves to her spinal cord. Despite the fact that she has no sensation from her hips down, she still intends to walk down the aisle, when she gets married in April 2011.

She and her fiancée practice their wedding dance at the Detroit Medical Center’s Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan. The woman has been going there three times a week for two years. At first, she went to become stronger and regain her independence, but since her fiancée proposed to her, her goal is now to walk down the aisle even with a spinal cord injury.

“I wasn’t going to let this wheelchair stop me,” she told a friend.

Published on: November 30, 2011

The heavy equipment he had to carry while in Afghanistan only made his injuries worse.

by Stephen Bilkis

Spinal cord injury doctors know as well as anyone that foot soldiers often face injuries to their muscles and bones in the course of their regular duties. The great weight of their equipment only exacerbates the problems, making minor injuries worse and creating new injuries that will never completely heal.

Noncommissioned officers who have been through multiple tours in a combat zone are often the ones who suffer from these strains like herniated discs the most, according to doctors. These are also the ones who are most likely to feel loyalty to their units and they refuse to let younger and less experienced soldiers who have fewer injuries take their place.

“I had a choice. But I couldn’t leave my squad behind just before they were being deployed,” a staff sergeant from Joint Base Louis-McChord told a reporter. The sergeant served in Afghanistan for a year, even though he had injuries to his arm and rotator cuff.