Injuries to the spinal cord, like a brain injury, can be devastating on the individual and can cause very significant disability. Such injuries can broadly be divided into traumatic causes and non-traumatic causes. As with a brain injury, the former are more common in the personal injury context (for example, a road traffic accident or sports injury), whereas the latter are more common in the clinical negligence context.
Non-traumatic causes include
- A prolapsed intervertebral disc (PID)
- Infections, in particular such as tuberculosis
- Space-occupying lesions, such as spinal cysts and tumours
- Vascular damage, causing spinal cord infarction
- Congenital causes, such as spina bifida
The nature and extent of a spinal cord injury is usually dependent upon the level of the lesion in the spinal cord and the degree of damage the lesion causes. Such damage can result relatively in minor damage, paraplegia (complete or incomplete loss of movement and sensation in the legs and trunk) or quadriplegia (complete or incomplete loss of movement and sensation in the legs, trunk and arms). An incomplete lesion means that there is some function below the level of the lesion, whereas a complete lesion means that there is none. A lesion high in the cervical spine may result in the inability to breathe properly and the need for ventilation by a machine.
Cauda Equina Syndrome
An important condition in the clinical negligence setting is Cauda Equina Syndrome, which is a condition caused by damage to the nerve roots below the level of the spinal cord, usually by a herniated disc in the lumbar spine. The effects include a combination of low back pain, unilateral or bilateral sciatica, saddle sensory disturbance, bladder and bowel dysfunction, and variable lower limb motor and sensory loss. It is often a medical emergency and can sometimes be avoided with prompt surgical intervention.
If you believe you may have a medical negligence claim, please contact the team by email at clinnegenquiries@kingsleynapley.co.uk or by calling +44 (0)20 7814 1200.
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