Immediate medical care after a spinal injury can be frightening

Getting immediate medical care after a spinal cord injury can be frightening. When you are going through this process, you need to ensure that you are remaining as relaxed as possible. This is often difficult to do when you are in the midst of all the activity. It can also be difficult for your loved ones to understand what is going on.

When you first contact the emergency medical technicians, they are going to take steps to stabilize your spinal cord at the scene of the accident. This might not be comfortable because you have to be put on a backboard. However, the discomfort could mean that your spinal cord isn’t damaged during transport.

Top priority at the hospital

The top priority for the medical team during this period is ensuring that you are stabilized. They will put your life first, so they are going to focus on things like making sure you can breathe and that you aren’t losing too much blood. They will monitor your blood pressure closely and will continue to take steps to protect the spinal cord. From there, they will begin to look into how to help you regain as much function as possible after the accident.

Protecting the spinal cord

When you experience a spinal cord injury, your medical care team will focus on spinal cord injury treatment to minimize the impact of the body's reaction. Swelling in the affected area is possible, and various methods will be employed to address it, with your doctor determining the most suitable ones for your case.

Some patients require inflammation reduction measures. These can include the administration of steroids, and it could also mean you need to undergo therapeutic cooling. This is done through the use of intravenous catheters or specialized blankets that help to keep the body temperature down.

You might also need to have surgery to help correct the problems in the spinal column. There are different types that might be necessary. Your doctor will explain the procedure to you, so be sure to ask any questions so you have a good understanding of what’s going to happen.

These injuries often come with a considerable financial impact. You might be able to lessen that burden by seeking compensation for the spinal injury. This seeks to hold the person whose negligence led to your injury accountable for the impacts.