Unlike with many other bodily injuries, the most important aspect of SCI treatment begins before you even reach a healthcare provider. Ensuring that you or your loved one remains still—avoiding moving the spinal column—and receives prompt emergency care can increase the odds that you survive while minimizing the long-term effects of your injury.
Getting the most accurate diagnosis and best SCI treatment is critical to a successful recovery.
Spinal Cord Injury Diagnoses and Prognoses
Spinal cord injuries are assessed by medical professionals based on three factors:
- The location of the injury (how high on the spinal cord the damage is located);
- The type of injury sustained (an incomplete vs. complete spinal cord injury); and
- The symptoms experienced as a result of the injury.
No prognosis is set in stone; there are different factors that can change or improve a prognosis. For example, Pat Rummerfield is a shining example of how willpower and care can alter what seems like a set path in life. Rummerfield, who broke his neck in multiple places and wasn’t expected to survive more than 72 hours, can now walk and run as well.
Rummerfield engaged in a year of physical rehabilitation and then did personal rehab at home with his father for years after that. After 17 years of grueling rehab, he became a fully functional quadriplegic.
Types of Spinal Cord Injury Treatments
Treatments for spinal cord injuries are both highly challenging, but the physical and emotional strain involved are often worth the recovery opportunity such treatments provide. Some of the different types of spinal cord injury treatments include:
- Surgery and medications;
- Physical and occupational therapy;
- Activity-based therapy (ABT);
- Stem cell therapy;
- Virtual reality (VR) therapy;
- Functional electrical stimulation (FES) therapy; and
- Brain-computer interfaces.
Different types of treatments are available through different care providers located across the United States. The facilities for these treatments range from rehabilitation centers and hospitals to ABT centers.
Pursuing Compensation Benefits Can Help Pay for SCI Costs
The quality of care you seek shouldn’t be limited only to medical-related concerns. The cost of hospital stays, doctor visits, physical and occupational therapy, mental health counseling, and prescriptions all quickly add up and can significantly affect your financial life as well. Add to that the cost of lost wages, receiving daily or 24/7 ongoing care from a caregiver or personal assistant, and a multitude of other hidden costs that you’ll likely have to pay, and these numbers become significantly worse.
According to the most recent statistics from the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC), the average annual expenses for someone living with a high tetraplegia (C1-C4) cervical spinal cord injury tops more than $1.1 million in the first year and $191,000 for each subsequent year. For someone in their mid-20s, this is an estimated lifetime cost of nearly $5 million.
A spinal cord injury lawsuit can be a way to receive compensation for your injuries if they were caused by the actions or inactions of another person or entity, such as a trucking company or automobile manufacturer. A caring and experienced spinal cord injury lawyer, such as a lawyer from Swope, Rodante P.A., helps SCI survivors receive compensation for seemingly impossible trials. For example, the Swope, Rodante P.A. team helped a U.S. Army veteran receive a $12.5 million settlement for his injuries from an accident that rendered him a ventilator-dependent quadriplegic.
To learn more about living with a spinal cord injury, treatments, and legal options, download our free resource by clicking on the image below.
