What is Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation?
When a person suffers a spinal cord injury in an accident, the injury could result in life-altering conditions. In many cases, spinal cord injury rehabilitation is necessary as part of the treatment plan for an SCI.
A complete spinal cord injury causes a total loss of mobility and feeling below the site of the injury. An incomplete spinal cord injury may result in partial movement and sensation for areas of the body below the site of injury.
It is important to remember that the spinal cord itself does not need to be severed to suffer a catastrophic injury. A blunt force trauma to the spinal cord can result in initial injury and secondary injuries that lead to a serious and permanent spinal cord injury. It is also important to remember that there is no cure for spinal cord injuries. SCI victims must learn to live with their new abilities and impairments. SCI rehabilitation can assist in moving forward and learning how to function with limited abilities.
The Goals of Spinal Cord Rehabilitation
When you enter an SCI rehabilitation program, the goals you set with your treatment team depend on your specific injury. In addition, your goals depend on your needs and desires. However, some goals are common to SCI rehab plans. For instance, most rehabilitation plans include a goal for improving your mobility, physical function, and strength. Also, the therapists want to help you learn how to use various pieces of equipment that can help you achieve your goals.
In addition to working on your strength and mobility, your therapists will work with you to find ways to perform daily tasks. For someone with a spinal cord injury, they may not be able to perform tasks as they did before the injury. Therefore, they need to develop new skills and learn new ways of doing things to perform daily tasks.
Finally, an important goal of any SCI rehab program is to help you deal with the emotional and psychological effects of a spinal cord injury. Even though the physical injuries can be difficult to deal with, the mental aspects of an SCI can be overwhelming. Dealing effectively with anger, frustration, depression, and the other emotional issues you may encounter is essential to help you reach your rehabilitation goals.
Working with an Experienced Team of Spinal Cord Injury Experts
In most cases, an SCI rehabilitation team consists of several health care providers. You may work with occupational therapists, physical therapists, counselors, speech therapists, and psychologists. Regardless of the company you choose for your SCI rehab, you want to make sure you have a good relationship with each provider. You will be working closely with these individuals to overcome difficult circumstances. Trust and compatibility are important.
Spinal Cord Injuries Are Expensive to Treat
Spinal cord injuries can be very expensive to treat. It is important that you work with an Erie spinal cord injury attorney to file an accident claim. The person who caused your accident should be held liable for your damages and losses. An attorney can help you seek full compensation for all damages. Receiving maximum compensation is important to help pay for the cost of spinal cord injury rehabilitation.
The Travis Law Firm works with spinal cord injury victims to recover the compensation they need in an accident claim. We aggressively pursue the person who caused your injury to recover as much money as possible for your claim.
Call our office at (800) 401-2066 to request a free legal consultation with our Erie spinal cord injury attorney.