Spinal injuries can radically change your life. Even if the spinal trauma doesn’t cause permanent loss of limb use, you may spend a great deal of your time in pain or face a long rehabilitation. Also, spinal cord injuries can put you at greater risk of debilitation later in life. Three causes are most frequently to blame for spinal injuries in the U.S.
Motor Vehicle Accidents
Car accidents can damage your spine at several points. You may suffer whiplash from the force of your skull being thrown back and forth at impact. You may be stepping on the brake and get rear-ended, putting a great deal of pressure on your lower back. Motor vehicle accidents are brief bursts of intense trauma that can badly jar your spin and lead to pinching or twisting injuries to the nerves leading off your spine. Among the many kinds of injuries car accidents cause, spinal injuries are some of the worst.
Slip and Fall
Traversing icy parking lots or walking down a wet outdoor staircase can put you at risk of a fall. If you fall forward, the blunt force of striking your head can injure your spine or neck at a point high in the spine. Falling backward can cause you to land on your tailbone and may even lead to a break in the tailbone or a bulging disc low in your back. Falling accounts for more than 20 percent of serious spinal cord injuries in the United States. While some can be avoided with more attention to your activities, some injuries are simply unavoidable.
Pedestrian Accidents
Whether you are on a bicycle or walking, you are at risk of being struck by motor vehicles. Depending on the force of the event, you can suffer anything from bumps and bruises to a complete spinal severing. Even a slight spinal injury can lead to a long recovery and rehabilitation. Anyone who’s been struck by a car should be checked out by a medical professional. Even if you feel alright, there may be injuries that don’t show up immediately. The shock of the injury can make it hard for some people to notice any points of pain in their bodies until long after the event, so a thorough medical exam is critical.
Spinal injuries can require a temporary round of rehabilitative therapy or may impact your daily life from the date of injury forward. If you suffer a serious fall, are hurt in a car accident, or are struck by a vehicle, be sure to get checked out by a professional.
