What Are the Leading Causes of Quadriplegia?

An individual with quadriplegia is someone who experiences paralysis of all four limbs. Quadriplegia can begin at birth and develop due to a severe accident or other traumatic injuries. Life with quadriplegia can be challenging and can require a future filled with expensive medical care. A Portland spinal cord injury attorney may be able to assist you or an injured loved one after a life-changing accident occurs.

Defining Quadriplegia

Total paralysis of all four limbs and the torso is how quadriplegia is identified. It can happen when an individual sustains spinal cord and brain damage. People who have quadriplegia lose function, control, and feeling in their legs and their arms. This can cause the sufferer to need constant care to get through everyday life. 

People who are experiencing quadriplegia cannot use their arms and legs, therefore, cannot feed themselves and are unable to walk, change or go to the bathroom. Their daily lives are harshly limited as they need assistance managing all areas of their lives.

Common Causes of Quadriplegia

When a permanent injury to the spinal cord or the associated nerves at the end of the spinal canal, quadriplegia can occur. Around 500,000 individuals injure their spinal cords each year, according to Medical News Today

Usually, quadriplegia occurs as a result of a severe spinal cord injury. This can include the following: 

  • Damages to vertebrae
  • Ligament damage
  • Damage to the disks of the spinal column

Often these damages occur when a person has a traumatic blow to their spine. Injuries like that result in the following injuries: 

  • Fractures
  • Dislocations
  • Crush injuries
  • Spinal compression of one or more vertebrae

Injuries such as these often result in paralysis and, depending on the position of the injury, quadriplegia.

Types of Accidents That Cause Quadriplegia

Some common accidents that lead to catastrophic spinal cord injuries are as follows: 

  • Automobile accidents 
  • Motorcycle accidents
  • Sports injuries
  • Falls
  • Knife wounds
  • Gunshot wounds
  • Traumatic births
  • Alcohol-related accidents

According to The Mayo Clinic, falls cause over 30% of spinal cord injuries. Violent injuries from gunshot wounds and knife assaults make up 13% of injuries to the spinal cord. About 10% of spinal cord injuries are the result of sports injuries. About a quarter of all spinal cord injuries happen because of alcohol use. 

More Than Just Accidents

Although traumatic accidents are one of the top causes of quadriplegia, there are other causes. Genetic diseases can also cause paralysis. Some of these conditions are listed below: 

  • Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
  • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease
  • Strokes
  • Brain damage
  • Cancer
  • Arthritis
  • Infections
  • Inflammation
  • Osteoporosis

In severe cases, medical malpractice can cause paralysis, often quadriplegia. 

Lawsuits Because of Quadriplegia

If you or someone you love experienced an accident, an act of violence, or an incident where medical malpractice, you may be able to pursue compensation. To prove medical malpractice, the following must be shown: 

  • Medical personnel misdiagnosed you, and because of this, your paralysis happened.
  • The physician or staff at the hospital issued an inappropriate regime of treatment for a spinal cord injury that should have been curable
  • .Complications that should have been preventable in an unrelated procedure were the cause of the paralysis.

If the negligence of another person caused your quadriplegia, it is critical that you contact an attorney with Paulson Coletti Trial Attorneys PC. Our team of experienced attorneys understands the ins and outs of spinal cord injuries and quadriplegia lawsuits. Contact our Portland personal injury lawyer for a free consultation. Our goal is for our clients to receive the maximum compensation available for their injuries.