Depending on which part of the spinal cord is damaged, spinal cord injury victims can experience different losses of function. Injuries high up on the spinal cord often result in quadriplegia, while injuries lower down the spinal cord can result in paraplegia:
- Paraplegia: When the mid to lower back area of the spinal cord is damaged, the resulting injury could lead to paralysis of the legs and requiring the need for a wheelchair. Most paraplegics will still have full function of their upper bodies, including their legs and torsos.
- Quadriplegia: When the spinal cord is damaged in the upper back or neck area, the resulting injury could lead to paralysis of the entire body, including the legs, arms, hands and fingers. In extreme cases, the ability to move your neck or head may be impaired as well.
What Is Quadriplegia?
When an injury to the spinal cord takes place in the cervical section of the spinal column, usually above the C-8 vertebrae. The higher the injury, often the more the arm and hands may be affected. C1-C4 injuries will generally have more arm and hand paralysis and loss of function from the neck down. C5-C8 may have more sensation or movement in the arms and not require a ventilator for breathing. However, all quadriplegics have some loss of function in their fingers or hands.
As a general rule, the closer the spinal cord injury is to the brain, the more significant the injury. An injury to the cervical area (neck) may result in quadriplegia, which is defined as the inability to voluntarily move the body’s upper and lower parts including the chest, arms, hands, fingers, legs, feet, and toes, and in some cases, shoulders, neck, and head.
Talk To An Experienced Injury Lawyer
At the Pascoe Law Firm, we can handled many different paralysis cases to service to our clients needs. If you or your loved one has sustained a spinal cord injury in an accident, contact our Texas spinal cord injury lawyer for a free consultation to discuss your options. The Pascoe Law Firm provides free consultations regarding legal action after paralysis. Contact us online or by phone at 713-829-4317 to speak with an experienced Galveston paralysis attorney about your situation. Hablamos español.
Attorney, John D. Pascoe and the Pascoe Law Firm, is responsible for the content on this website, principal office and only office located in Friendswood, Texas. Servicing: Alvin, Angleton, Atascocita, Austin, Bay City, Bacliff, Baytown, Beaumont, Bellaire, Brazoria County, Brookside Village, Brownsville, Clute, Conroe, Clear Lake, Clear Lake Shores, Chambers County, Corpus Christi, Channelview, Cypress, Dallas, Danbury Dickinson, Deer Park, East Houston, El Largo, Freeport, Friendswood, Fresno, Fort Bend County, Fort Worth, Galveston, Galveston County, Greenspoint, Gulfgate, Harris County, Hitchcock, Houston, Houston Heights, Huffman, Humble, Huntsville, Harlingen, Jefferson County, Katy, Kemah, Lake Jackson, La Marque, La Porte, League City, Laredo, Liberty County, Manvel, Memorial City Houston, Midtown Houston, Missouri City, Montgomery County, Montrose Houston, McAllen, Nassau Bay, North Houston, Orange, Pasadena, Port Bolivar, Port Arthur, Pearland, Richmond, Rice Village, River Oaks, Rosenberg, Rosharon, Rio Grande Valley, Santa Fe, San Antonio, San Leon, Seabrook, Shoreacres, Sienna Plantation, South Houston, Sugar Land, Southbelt Ellington, Spring, South Padre Island, Texas City, Taylor Lake Village, The Woodlands, Tiki Island, Tomball, Victoria, Uptown Houston Galleria, Webster, West Columbia, West University Place, Weihmar, and throughout Texas.