Study Offers New Hope for Spinal Cord Injury Victims

 Posted on December 00, 0000 in Car Accidents

According to national statistics, the number one cause of spinal cord injuries is motor vehicle crashes. Almost 40 percent of the more than 10,000 new spinal cord injuries which occur each year are a result of car crashes.

Victims of spinal cord injuries also have an increased mortality rate – almost five times higher – than someone without a spinal cord injury. Statistically, the majority of victims of spinal cord injuries are male, with more than half of victims receiving their injuries between the ages of 16 and 30.

The cost of spinal cord injuries can be astronomical. The initial hospital stay after an injury is 15 days, and that is followed by a stay at a residential rehabilitation facility. That stay is usually around 45 days. The follow-up medical expenses the first year alone are approximately $200,000. However, that number almost doubles if the victim is a quadriplegic.

The average lifetime costs for a paraplegic is just under $430,000. For a person who has been left a quadriplegic by their injuries, that lifetime cost is almost $1.4 million. And almost half of victims do not typically have medical insurance at the time of their injury.

There is some hopeful news for spinal cord injuries regarding a possible new treatment. The procedure, called transcutaneous stimulation, is a non-invasive one, meaning it does not require surgery or any type of implanted devices. Instead, electrodes are placed on a victim’s lower back, which carry electrical current to the spine.

In a recent study of the device, five men who suffer from spinal cord injuries and are unable to walk were all able to make stepping-like motions with their legs. Each of the study participants had been paralyzed for a minimum of two years. The men spent 45 minutes each week, for 18 weeks, in these sessions. At the beginning of the study, none of the men were able to move their legs on their own. However, within four weeks, they were all able to voluntarily move their legs. According to the research team, the treatment actually reactivated dormant connections which had developed between the spine and the brain.

If you have been injured in a car crash, contact an experienced Lake County injury attorney to find out what legal recourse you may have against the driver who was responsible for the crash.

Sources:

http://www.sci-info-pages.com/facts.html

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/articles/2015/07/31/noninvasive-stimulation-gets-legs-moving-after-spinal-cord-injury