It is estimated that 1,000 people in the UK suffer a spinal injury each year. In a matter of seconds, such a catastrophic injury may irrevocably alter the whole pattern of a person’s life causing devastation to the lives of the individual and their families.

Spinal cord injury is damage caused to the spinal cord by trauma or disease resulting in motor and sensory paralysis. The spinal cord is the information superhighway, it allows communication between the brain and the rest of the body. The extent of the paralysis depends on where in the spinal cord the injury occurs.  However the paralysis can usually be catagorised in one of two ways: tetraplegia or paraplegia.

These injuries can affect bladder, bowel and sexual function as well as causing respiratory difficulties, pressure sores and significant impairment of mobility.
After spinal cord injury, the highway is damaged and the brain is unable to send signals to the relevant part of the body it wishes to function. As a result the person with the spinal cord injury loses sensory function and muscle control below the point of the injury.

The level of disability and paralysis depends on the level of the spinal cord injury. A general rule of thumb is the higher the level of the damage to the spine the higher the level of paralysis.

Causes of spinal injury
The most common cause of spinal cord injury results as a consequence of damage to the bony spinal column that surrounds the spinal cord. This can result in damage to the nerves of the spinal cord and is known as a traumatic injury. It can be caused by the following:

• Medical negligence i.e. result of treatment or surgery
• Road traffic crashes
• Work-related accidents
• Sporting injuries
  

If any of the above caused your spinal injury, then you may be able to seek a claim for compensation.  Leigh Day & Co spinal injury lawyers are expert in this field and have many years experience representing clients with a spinal injury.