An injury to the spinal cord can be much more than just an injured back. While the back body strains and sprains that often slow down Oklahoma residents can be painful and limiting, a spinal cord injury can be permanent and life-altering. This post does not offer its readers any legal or medical advice, but instead offers information on two serious spinal cord injury complications that may avail them to disability benefits from the Social Security Administration.
Paraplegia is a condition characterized by paralysis in legs and lower trunk of the body. It is generally caused by a complete injury to the spinal cord at a point in the back rather than the neck. If a person suffers an incomplete injury to the spine they may have some sensation and movement in this region of the body and their injury would not be classified as paraplegia.
Quadriplegia, also called tetraplegia, is the paralysis of the body below the neck. A victim of quadriplegia cannot move their arms, legs, or torso. A complete injury of the spinal cord at the neck may result in this serious and severely limiting form of disability.
Both paraplegia and quadriplegia may inhibit a person’s ability to live independently and work to earn an income on which to support themselves. These forms of paralysis are generally irreversible and therefore victims of spinal cord injuries that suffer them have to live with their conditions for their entire lives. To further explore how individuals who suffer from paraplegia and quadriplegia can seek disability benefits, consultations with disability benefits attorneys may be advisable.