What Are the Signs of a Spinal Cord Injury?

After a car accident, it’s common to feel shaken, sore, and unsure of what your body is trying to tell you. Adrenaline can mask pain at first, so symptoms like tingling, numbness, or back pain may be easy to dismiss. But when that pain lingers, it’s natural to worry it could mean something more serious.

At Lafferty, Gallagher & Scott, LLC, we’ve been assisting Toledo car accident victims since 1973. Spinal cord injuries are among the most common outcomes of crashes, with vehicle accidents being the leading cause of these types of injuries. This makes it essential to monitor for spinal injuries after any collision.

If you’re questioning whether your pain is normal or something more serious, watch for these common symptoms of a spinal cord injury:

• Sudden weakness or numbness in your arms or legs
• Tingling or loss of sensation
• Persistent back or neck pain
• Trouble walking or maintaining balance
• Loss of bladder or bowel control

Gaining a better understanding of how spinal cord injuries happen and why they cause these symptoms can help you make sense of what your body is telling you.

How Do Car Accidents Cause Spinal Injuries?

The spine is resilient, but the forces involved in a vehicle collision are intense. When a car comes to a sudden stop or is struck from the side, your body is thrown violently. This can cause whiplash, fractures, or dislocations that compress or damage the spinal cord.

You don’t need to be in a high-speed highway crash to suffer a spinal injury. Even low-speed rear-end collisions can generate enough force to harm the delicate nerves within your spinal column. This damage interrupts the signals between your brain and the rest of your body, leading to the numbness, weakness, or sharp pain you might be feeling.

Can Spinal Cord Injury Symptoms Show Up Days After an Accident?

Yes, they often do. This phenomenon is known as “delayed onset.” Immediately after impact, your body may protect itself with swelling or inflammation. As this swelling increases over the hours or days following the crash, it puts more pressure on the spinal cord, causing more symptoms to appear or worsen long after you’ve left the accident scene.

This is why monitoring your body is essential. Even if you felt “fine” right after the crash, new symptoms like reduced coordination or spreading numbness are serious warning signs.

What Symptoms Require Immediate Medical Attention?

While all accident injuries deserve medical care, certain red flags indicate a medical emergency. If you experience the inability to move a limb, lose control over your bladder or bowels, or feel severe pressure in your neck or back, go to the emergency room immediately.

Early treatment is vital. Medical professionals can sometimes reduce swelling or perform surgery to relieve pressure on the spinal cord, which can preserve long-term mobility and function. Documenting these symptoms as they happen is also important for both your medical treatment and any potential legal action.

How Can a Spinal Injury Affect Your Legal Case?

If your pain ends up being linked to a spinal cord injury, your injury claim becomes far more complex. These injuries often require long-term medical care, rehabilitation, assistive devices, and even permanent home or vehicle modifications. This opens the door to significantly greater compensation than less severe injuries.

The value of a spinal cord injury claim depends on several factors, including the severity of the injury, the strength of your medical documentation, and how the accident occurred. Insurers will closely scrutinize future care needs, lost earning potential, and the long-term physical and emotional impact of the injury. Without proper planning, many of these costs can be undervalued or overlooked.

A skilled attorney plays a critical role in spinal injury cases. By accounting for both immediate and future needs, and working with medical and financial professionals, your attorney can pursue a claim value that truly reflects the full cost of your injury and helps protect your long-term future.

Listen to Your Body

If you’re experiencing unsettling pain after a car accident, it’s important to take it seriously. Getting medical attention early can protect your health and provide critical documentation if your injury turns out to be more serious than it first appeared.

At Lafferty, Gallagher & Scott, LLC, we understand how much is at stake in spinal injury cases. Our team is here to help you understand your options, pursue the compensation you may need, and move forward confidently when your future is on the line. Contact us today.