Life After a Spinal Cord Injury

After a spinal cord injury, there is a chance that your life will change significantly. You may not be able to do all the things that you could before. It can affect your work and home life due to both the physical and emotional damage associated with the injury.

It may not seem possible when the spinal cord injury has just happened, but there are a number of ways that you can improve your quality of life post-injury. Each person’s circumstances are different, however, there are a number of general areas of focus where you can make beneficial improvements.

Physical Rehabilitation of a Spinal Cord Injury

When you have a spinal injury, it can affect your movement and cause pain in a number of areas. In order to regain movement and learn to manage your pain you will need physiotherapy, and in some cases that may include specialist rehabilitation. The time it takes for you to reach peak physical recover will vary depending on the nature of your injury.

Physical rehabilitation for spinal cord injuries is often a grueling experience, which leaves patients mentally and physically exhausted at the end of each session. You may feel at times like you are not making any progress at all, whereas at other times you will reach seemingly impossible milestones. Regardless, it is important that you work with a therapist or team who provides realistic expectations about your recovery.

Cognitive and Emotional Therapy

A spinal cord injury is normally associated with some sort of traumatic accident. You may experience grief, anxiety, anger, frustration, paranoia or a number of similar cognitive and emotional issues as a direct result of your injury. It is just as important to address these issues as it is to address the physical aspects of your spinal cord injury.

The type of help you will need will largely depend on how your emotional wellbeing has been affected by the injury or the circumstances which lead to the injury. Some people will require grief or relationship counseling, whereas others may require help accepting the new set of realities in which they find themselves.

Work Life Adjustments

If your spinal cord injury impacts the work that you do, you will need to make some adjustments to your hours or workload. Your employer can make reasonable adjustments to your workspace, reduce your workload, or change your hours to accommodate you. If you are no longer able to reasonably fulfill the duties of your current role, your employer could help you transition to another role within the company.

Unfortunately, your employer can only do so much to help you remain with the company. You may have to face the reality that you are no longer able to continue your chosen career path. If this is the case, you will need to consider pursuing a new career. In the worst case scenario, you won’t be able to return to work at all.

Financial Burdens

There are very few instances where a spinal cord injury will not result in some sort of financial burden. Whether that means medical and therapy costs, damage to property, or loss of earnings. It is important to make sure you are not left footing the bill if you were not responsible for your injury.

If you have suffered a spinal cord injury get in contact with the lawyers of Edwards & Patterson. We want to help you pursue compensation for your injuries, giving you the peace of mind that you are covered for both the economic and non- economic damages you have suffered.