Spinal Injury Lawyer Blog 24/7

Published on: September 20, 2011

Rehabilitation after spine injury includes a great many aspects

by Stephen Bilkis

Rehabilitation after spine injury includes a great many aspects, New York Spinal Injury Lawyers note. The physical parts of the recovery process includes increasing the range of motion to all limbs and the trunk, first to prevent contracting muscles and control spasms. Strengthening all remaining active muscles is very important. Slip and Fall accidents are the cause of many of these conditions and facilities in The Bronx and Brooklyn are aware of this.

Sensory rehabilitation involves focusing upon motor control, but also awareness of space through movement. These are usually aimed to regaining control of the bowel and bladder, if at all possible. The muscles that control these functions often have to be retrained. Some individuals may even have difficulty maintaining breathing and may have to learn to breath involuntarily all over again from a respiratory therapist, according to NYC Spinal Injury Lawyers. These breathing exercises are extremely important to avoid respiratory complications such as pneumonia.

The changes that come about after traumatic spine injury may require the patient gain the support of a psychologist or psychiatrist. Even if the patient has been severely injured, employment is still a possibility, which will require the assistance of a vocational counselor. When sexual dysfunction occurs as the result of a spinal cord injury, a specific health care professional may be required to deal with that, as well.

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: September 15, 2011

A Baby Boy’s Broken Neck Misdiagnosed, States New York Spinal Injury Lawyer

by Stephen Bilkis

A ten-month old little boy was released from the hospital with a broken neck after the doctors failed to carry out a proper examination. The ten-month old baby was brought to MidCentral Health Palmerston North Hospital after a car accident he and his mother were involved in near their home in Glen Oroua. The paramedic who tended to the baby noted that the baby had a suspected neck injury on his report. When the baby and his mother arrived at the hospital, a junior doctor attended to the baby. The doctor checked the movement of his limbs, and noted severe bruising around his collarbone. He then monitored the boy for 2 hours, and then released him to a caregiver, reports a New York Spinal Injury Lawyer. Theoretically, this situation, in the worst case, could have resulted in a fatal spinal injury.

The boy’s mother sustained injuries that required an extended hospital stay. His father, who had to been away on business, returned home the day after the accident to find his son unable to move his head or cry out. The boys head was lolled over on one side, resting on his collarbone. The father rushed his son to the emergency room, and demanded an X-ray. When the results were sent to Starship Hospital, the doctors ordered a neck brace we put on immediately, and then airlifted the boy to their facility to undergo a MRI procedure.

A New York Spinal Injury Lawyer reported that since that time the ten-month old has underwent three CAT scans, 100 X-rays, two MRI scans and surgery. He had to wear halo traction for three months and a half body cast, and was the youngest child to be placed in halo. Hospitals in The Bronx and Brooklyn watch for these situations and take care to treat them with care.

Published on: September 12, 2011

Supermarket Fall Returns a Woman $15,000, Says New York Spinal Injury Lawyer

by Stephen Bilkis

New York Spinal Injury Lawyers understand that accidents can happen anywhere at any time, which is why they are always ready to assist when someone needs compensation after suffering an injury.

Something as mundane as a trip to the supermarket resulted in an injurious fall for one 54-year-old woman. The supermarket attempted to prove that the injuries were not caused by the fall – the jury found the supermarket at fault. The plaintiff suffered two herniated discs, impingements on her spinal cord, and compression of the nerve leading to her shoulder an arm. It was proven these injuries caused her pain and that those injuries happened after the incident in the market. Slip and Fall Injuries are often treated in Manhattan and Brooklyn hospitals.

The jury awarded the woman $15,000 for future pain and suffering, but that was not enough. NYC Spinal Injury Lawyers were quick to show the victim required painkillers, exercise at two-hour intervals and a cervical collar on a daily basis. Her daily activities were severely curtailed by her injuries. In light of this, an award of $100,000 for future pain and suffering was sought, as well as $75,000 for past pain and suffering.

Published on: September 8, 2011

As with many injuries, spinal injuries can come with complications

by Stephen Bilkis

As with many injuries, spinal injuries can come with complications, according to New York Spinal Injury Lawyers. Specific ones include neurological dysfunction, hunchback, herniated discs, and bones that heal out of alignment. When high-impact force was involved, such as in a car accident, there can also be cuts or bruises on the heart or lungs. Spinal cord injuries come with even more possible complications, like sores caused due to prolonged inability to move. Even chronic constipation or inability to void the bladder may become an issue, requiring treatment in order to avoid potentially dangerous consequences. Hospitals in New York City and Queens are always on the lookout for these complications in car accidents.

Certain spinal cord injuries can cause such severe dysfunction to the nervous system that hypertension and other cardiovascular conditions result, New York Spinal Injury Lawyers have discovered. Such injuries occur in 48% to 90% of all individuals injured in specific portions of the spine, or by any painful or irritating stimulus below that portion of the spine.

Complications after surgery may include difficulties breathing, or cardiac complications, like heart attack, NYC Spinal Injury Lawyers have learned. Anemia from severe blood loss, problems with blood coagulation and difficulties stemming from fluid imbalances are all known to occur sometimes after spinal surgery. Urinary tract infections can also result from spinal surgery, and these infections can even spread to the spin and any hardware implanted there to support the area. There are a great many things that physicians need to keep an eye out for when attending to a victim of spine or spinal cord injury, and all of them can have a large impact on a patient’s life for a long time to come.

Published on: September 3, 2011

Severity of a Spinal Injury Determines Type of Treatment Conducted

by Stephen Bilkis

In order to improve the condition or prevent the damage caused by a fractured vertebra from trauma to the head, neck, or back. The type of treatment a person with injury to vertebrate in the individual’s thoracic spine needs depends on the severity of the injury. There are two treatment methods to address thoracic spine fractures. They are either a nonsurgical treatment or a surgical treatment, a New York Spinal Injury Lawyer conferred. Slip and Fall accidents can cause injuries which require surgical treatment as well as non surgical treatment. In Long Island and New York City, hospitals use both forms of treatment.

A doctor may choice a nonsurgical treatment method for someone with a compression fracture and some burst fractures. Nonsurgical treatments are used to treat fractures that are stable. They also take into account if there are any neurological deficits. If so, the doctor would do surgery.

The nonsurgical treatment involves the individual with the fracture to wear a hyperextension orthotic, cast, or brace. They would wear the brace for four to six weeks. Each person is different resulting in the brace to be worn for a shorter or longer period than others. Along with this treatment, the person will stay bedridden for one to three weeks.

Published on: August 27, 2011

Spinal surgery is an open procedure, using general anesthesia

by Stephen Bilkis

In the instances where there are broken bones in the spine, but no sign of neurologic difficulty, nonsurgical treatment can be appropriate. Compression fractures, in which the front or the side of the vertebrae is cracked, or some burst fractures, where a whole vertebra is cracked, are candidates for nonsurgical treatment, New York Spinal Injury Lawyers have learned. cervical spine injuries are not the same and doctors in New York City and Long Island treat this condition much differently. Nonsurgical treatment involves wearing a cast or a brace for 4 to 6 weeks. This period may be longer for individuals who have more severe injuries, or patients who have osteoporosis. It is not uncommon for physicians to recommend 1 to 3 weeks of bed rest.

Patients who have unstable fractures of the spine, where bones have been shattered, and the spinal cold stretched or pierced, often undergo surgical treatment. These procedures generally are used to realign the spine, stabilize the spine, and prevent (or even improve) any neurologic dysfunction. The actual treatment varies depending upon the severity of the injury on the spine and the spinal cord, as well as the general health of the patient, the patient’s age, and the personal discretion of the surgeon.

Spinal surgery is an open procedure, using general anesthesia, according to NY Spinal Injury Lawyers. These all require fusion of vertebrae to each other through metal plates, rods, wires, and/or screws to stabilize the spin. After the surgery is finished, a brace of some kind is used, as per nonsurgical treatment. There may also be the need for painkilling drugs after the surgery, which the doctor will prescribe.

Published on: August 22, 2011

Compression fractures are also known as wedge fractures

by Stephen Bilkis

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.

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 15, 2011

Helmets Can Prevent Spinal Injuries

by Stephen Bilkis

New York Spinal Injury Lawyers have discovered that bicycle riders who wear helmets are 22% less likely to sustain an injury to their cervical spins than riders who did not wear helmets, after crashing their bicycles or motorcycles. This contradicts the supposition of some who say the weight of the helmet causes enough torque on the neck in a motorcycle crash to contribute to spinal injuries.

“We are debunking a popular myth that wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle can be detrimental during a motorcycle crash,” a professor of surgery told a New York Spinal Injury Lawyer. “Using this new evidence, legislators should revisit the need for mandatory helmet laws. There is no doubt that helmets save lives and reduce head injury. And now we know they are associated with a decreased risk of cervical spine injury.”

The professor and his colleagues sifted through data of more than 40,000 motorcycle collisions that occurred between 2002 and 2006. Not only did the riders who wore helmets suffer fewer cervical spine injuries, but they also showed lower risks for traumatic brain injury and death.