When you are deciding whether to pursue legal action for your spinal cord injury, working closely with an attorney who will explain all of your rights, options and their consequences can help you make the right decision for your situation. Contact our firm today to speak with a lawyer experienced in representing clients in spinal cord injury cases.
Learn More About Spinal Cord Injury Claims
At Kolker & Germeroth, L.L.C., we represent clients in St. Louis and throughout Missouri who have sustained spinal cord injuries as a result of negligence. For more details about how we handle these claims, please visit our Spinal Cord Injuries page.
Below you will find some general information about how the law handles these claims. To get information about your specific case, contact our firm to speak with an experienced attorney.
Thank you for contacting Kolker & Germeroth, L.L.C. Your message has been sent.
Call us now
or use the form below.
Our accomplished trial attorneys help individuals and families throughout Missouri and Southern Illinois who have been affected by a spinal cord injury. Each of our lawyers has more than 15 years of experience and has secured settlements and verdicts in excess of $1 million.
If you have suffered a spinal cord injury as a result of another's negligence, you deserve representation from a personal injury attorney who will aggressively protect your rights. Do not hesitate to contact us today to schedule a free consultation with an attorney.
Treatment Options for Spinal Cord Injuries
The cost of treating and caring for people with spinal cord injuries (SCI) in the US tops over $4 billion ever year. For the thousands of Americans living with spinal cord injuries, current treatment options focus on helping them learn to live with their disabilities and become as independent as their injuries allow. If you or a loved one have suffered a spinal cord injury, contact a personal injury attorney at Kolker & Germeroth, LLC in Clayton to learn more about the legal remedies that may be available to you in Missouri.
Surgery
The surgical options immediately following a spinal cord injury are limited and performed for two reasons: if the spinal column needs to be stabilized by the use of pins and/or plates; or if a fracture, break, bone fragment or other object is compressing the spinal cord and the pressure needs to be decompressed. While it is not uncommon for some function to be regained after surgery to stabilize or decompress the spine, all lost function cannot be restored by either surgery.
Surgery also may be performed to transfer nerves and tendons to help activate muscles and restore function. These surgeries are normally employed to improve hand/arm functions, such as bending and straightening the elbow and wrist and gripping with the fingers and hand.
Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation focuses on helping people with spinal cord injuries retain maximum function and live as independently as possible. Rehab uses massage, passive movements, exercises and other approaches to invigorate muscle groups and prevent atrophy. Rehab also can help people who require wheelchairs and prostheses become more comfortable with the equipment and learn how to use it. Besides focusing on physical health, rehab also may include the services of vocational therapists, psychologists, nutritionists, social workers and other professionals to help people adjust to living with their disabilities. People with severe injuries may be unable to live independently and require long-term care from a live-in nurse, nursing home or other care facility.
Future Treatments
Researchers are working hard to find a cure for spinal cord injuries. Current research focuses on regeneration of damaged spinal cord tissues to restore some, and ultimately all, of the lost function from the injury.
Some of the treatments researchers are developing to meet this goal include:
- Transplantation - transplant tissues into or near the damaged portions of the spinal cord to facilitate growth of new nerve cells and supply a source of nerve cells to help repair the ones damaged by the injury.
- Stimulation - the adult spinal cord does not provide a positive environment for growth of new nerve cells. Researchers are trying to discover a way to "turn off" the proteins that inhibit growth and "turn on" or stimulate the proteins that encourage growth.
Conclusion
The current methods of treating spinal cord injuries have greatly improved the quality of life for many people living with these types of injuries. New methods are being developed to further build on this important work, with the ultimate goal of curing spinal cord injuries.
If you have a spinal cord injury and want to learn more about the available legal remedies, contact an attorney at Kolker & Germeroth, LLC in Clayton, Missouri.
Copyright ©2009 FindLaw, a Thomson Business
DISCLAIMER: This site and any information contained herein are intended for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. Seek competent legal counsel for advice on any legal matter.
