While many work-related accidents cause only minor injuries, far too many others leave people suffering from serious conditions. Like other Minnesota residents, you can be at risk of fatal or life-altering injuries especially when your spinal cord is involved in an accident.
WebMD.com explains that the spinal cord is responsible for transmitting signals and messages from the brain to the rest of the body. It runs the entire length of the spine from the base of the back all the way up to the base of the brain. Blunt trauma can hurt the spinal cord even though it is protected by the vertebrae. These nerves are responsible for your motor control functions, sense of touch and more.
If you suffer a spinal cord injury, the severity of your injuries will depend largely upon what portion of the spinal cord was affected. Injuries near the neck region are likely to impact the torso. Injuries in the middle portion of the back are likely to impact the legs. Sometimes an injury can extend through both areas. If you have one of these injuries, you can become a paraplegic or a quadriplegic. When this happens, it is natural to experience grief due to the loss of what you once could do. You may also live with chronic pain such as neuropathy. Other pain may be felt in your abdomen, bones or muscles.
You can learn more about how to seek help and compensation after sustaining a spinal cord injury at work by visiting our Minnesota work-related accident website.