Medical Negligence

Claiming Compensation for Spinal Cord Injury

A misdiagnosis of a spinal cord injury or causing a spinal cord injury during spinal surgery can both lead to permanent nerve damage and loss of function in various parts of the body. It may also justify the patient in making a claim for compensation.

The essential spinal cord

Injuries to the spinal cord can be utterly life-changing. The spinal cord houses the central nervous system which acts as the go-between between the brain and the rest of the body. Nerves and receptors throughout the body pass messages of sensation to the brain for interpretation. Whether it is responses to internal or external pain or to light or sound or smell, the body's nervous system collects these messages to enable us to assess and respond to our internal environment and the stimuli around us. In this way, it protects us as well as enabling us to react to the world around us.

Likewise, the body's nervous system sends messages of instruction to our muscles to carry out an extraordinary range of functions, whether it be to move away from danger, to close our eyes, to stop the car, to walk or to pass urine.

Damage to the nervous system can deprive us of these essential abilities and reduce our capacity to function effectively or independently in a variety of ways. For example, this may be a loss of mobility, a loss of sight or a loss of bowel control.

If medical professionals have contributed to a patient's loss of nerve function due to negligent care of the spinal cord, it may be appropriate to make a claim for compensation for the associated impact.

Misdiagnosis of spinal cord injury

An inaccurate diagnosis of a patient's symptoms may mean that their spine continues to suffer from pressure or damage, leading to an increased chance of further damage occurring.
A delay in diagnosing a spinal abscess can allow pressure to develop on the nerves within the spinal cord, depriving the patient of function.
A failure to diagnose a prolapsed or herniated disc can mean that the nerves become compressed, causing cauda equina syndrome and the possible loss of both bowel and bladder function

Spinal surgery damage

Inadvertent or negligent damage to the spinal cord during surgery can also cause permanent loss of function in the body.
Inappropriate positioning of the patient during spinal surgery can likewise cause damage such as sight loss or visual disturbance as the nerves come under pressure.

Claiming compensation

If you or a loved one are struggling with the long-term impact of function losses such as poor mobility, sight loss or incontinence due to poor-quality medical care of spinal problems, it may be appropriate to make a claim for compensation.

Such compensation claims can be extremely complex and require the attention and support of a skilled, experienced solicitor. Glynns Solicitors is a specialist medical negligence legal practice which has a long history of supporting clients in making successful compensation claims for medical negligence.

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