5 Ways that a Spinal Injury Can Affect Your Life and Overall Health

Medical science is more advanced these days than has ever been true before. We have vaccines for many diseases, and we can treat conditions about which we once knew nothing. However, some injuries and illnesses are still difficult to treat, even with our miraculous progress.

Spinal cord injuries remain challenging to treat in many cases. The back is still somewhat mysterious. Where some surgeries can help spinal cord damage, other times, the afflicted person remains paralyzed, or they have severely reduced mobility.

If you have sustained spinal cord damage, it’s going to impact your life in many ways. Here are just a few of them.

 

It’s Going to Be Costly

Spinal injuries are among the most life-altering injuries a person can face, and not just for the obvious reasons. If you injure your spine:

• You might have to undergo costly surgical procedures
• You may have to pay for a good deal of that out of pocket, depending on what health insurance you have

Since privatized health insurance exists in this country, you may have a high-deductible plan. Unless you have truly excellent health insurance coverage, it’s more than likely that you’re going to have to come up with some of that money yourself.

You might have to liquidate your savings if you owe thousands of dollars for an operation or multiple operations. You may have to sell some valuable possessions. You might even have to sell your house if you have no other options.

 

You May Need Physical Therapy for Months or Years

There are different kinds of spinal cord injuries. Some of them:

• Cause permanent damage
• You can recover from, either partially or totally

Let’s say that you were in a car accident and hurt your spine. If you see a doctor, they may tell you that you’ll never walk again. They also might say that you can recover at least partially if you go through a rigorous physical therapy program.

If it’s the latter, then that’s better news than the alternative. Months or even years of physical therapy won’t be fun, but if you can regain the use of your legs and reduce your pain at the end of the process, then it is well worth it.

 

You Might Be Depressed

It’s not uncommon for you to feel depressed if an accident damaged your spine. If you never had a problem with it before, and now you have chronic pain, or you can’t walk as well as you once could, that’s very tough on you from a mental standpoint.

You may need to locate a therapist and talk to them about what you’re going through, or you may need medication. Mood stabilizers exist that can help if you’re feeling down about your situation.

There should never be a stigma about seeking help if you feel depressed after an accident that damaged your spine. You went through trauma, and it is going to take a significant mental adjustment on your part to try and get back to some semblance of your routine.

 

You May Not Be Able to Work

You also might have a job where you cannot work anymore because of a spinal injury. It’s true that more people are working from home these days than ever before, especially with the pandemic.

It’s going to depend on what your job is. You can modify some positional duties so that you can do them from home. If you work doing something like food service or retail, though, you’re not much good to your boss if you can’t physically be there.

Depending on how the accident happened or the injury occurred, you might be able to get on disability. You may be able to hold someone responsible for damages. The details of your case will make all the difference in that regard.

 

Your Relationships Might Change

Ideally, even if you’ve injured your spine, it won’t change your outlook on life. However, a happy person might feel differently about their existence if they hurt their spine, and it severely impacts their life.

You might feel bitter, in which case your friends and family may find it hard to relate to you. It’s going to take an effort to remain cheerful and stay on good terms with them.

Again, this is an area where therapy and prescription drugs might help. Spinal injuries can change virtually everything about your life. Getting back to the person you were will take an admirable act of will.