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What are the different types of spinal cord injuries?

Michael Agruss

Written and Reviewed by Michael Agruss

  • Managing Partner and Personal Injury Lawyer at Mike Agruss Law.
  • Over 20 years of experience in Personal Injury.
  • Over 8000+ consumer rights cases settled.
  • Graduated from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law: Juris Doctor, 2004.


If you or a loved one has sustained a spinal cord injury from an accident, contact Mike Agruss Law for a free consultation so we can help you recover from this experience and get fairly compensated.

The spinal cord is one of the most essential components in our body structure. It houses part of the central nervous system (CNS), which aids us in reflexes, sensory processing, and many more functions relevant to our daily life. It also supports our neck and head as well as keeping us upright and straight as a whole.

A spinal cord injury is when some damage or fracture to the spinal cord affects its structure and function, and it can be extremely debilitating and life-changing. This is because it can affect the CNS which is in charge of motor and sensory function. A severe spinal cord injury has the potential to leave a person paralyzed from the neck down or paralyzed in all four limbs. They can be either complete or incomplete spinal cord injuries. A complete injury is when it results in total loss of all motor and sensory function below the level of injury. An incomplete injury is when there is still some motor and/or sensory function below the level of injury. There are a few different types of more specific spinal cord injuries, though, which include the following:

  • Spinal fracture – These injuries are when certain bones of the vertebrae break due to a high-energy impact; thus, the risk damaging the surrounding tissues and muscles if bone fragments get displaced.
  • Cervical spinal cord injury – Cervical injuries occur in the highest part of the spinal cord and risk paralysis to the entire area below the injury site, which would be the most widespread type, as opposed to a lower back injury. Paralysis can cover the arms and legs and impair some bodily functions.
  • Thoracic spinal cord injury – Thoracic injuries occur in the middle back (abdomen area) which controls signals to some back muscles and parts of the abdomen. It can cause paralysis of the legs and some impaired bodily functions.
  • Lumbar spinal cord injury – Lumbar injuries affect the lower portion of the back, which controls signals to the lower parts of the abdomen, the back, buttocks, some genital organs, and the legs. These injuries can cause paralysis of the legs only and some impaired bodily functions.
  • Sacral spinal cord injury – Sacral injuries affect the lower base of the back and control signals to the thighs, lower legs, feet, and genital organs. It can cause loss of bowel, bladder, and some proper sexual function.

Each injury will likely take months of treatment and recovery time, however, we aim to help you and ease this sudden financial burden by recovering the damages that you have experienced. Our attorneys are here to serve and fight for you by consulting experts, conducting investigations into the accident, and gathering all necessary evidence. We will make sure that you get justice for this sudden spinal cord injury.

Helping our clients is about counseling, advocating, and ultimately solving problems. With years of experience successfully representing the people, not the powerful, we will take care of the insurance adjusters, your medical bills, your property damage, and your lost wages, and monitor your treatment so you can focus on healing and getting your life back to normal. Our unique formula has earned us over 1,000 outstanding client reviews on our website, an A+ BBB rating, and over 135 five-star reviews on Google. Call 888-572-0176, e-mail us at [email protected], or schedule a meeting with us here. We’re here 24/7.

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