Neuropathy and Spinal Cord Injury

May 17, 2022, Kitchener, Ontario

Posted by: Robert Deutschmann, Personal Injury Lawyer

Spinal cord injury can occur in almost any personal injury cases. Slip and falls, car accidents, motorcycle pedestrian and bicycle accidents, and sports mishaps can all result in damage to the spinal column and leading to long term disability or neuropathy.

Is Neuropathy CSommon?

Spinal Cord Injury Canada (SCI Canada) estimates that about 4500 new cases of spinal cord injury happen in Canada every year, with almost 1800 of them resulting from traumatic injury. The rest are due to disease or other medical issues.

Spinal cord injury can result in temporary or permanent full or partial paralysis, paraplegia, quadriplegia and neuropathy. Neuropathy is defined as

Disease of dysfunction of one or more peripheral nerves, typically causing numbness, tingling, pain, and weakness in the affected area.

Why Does Neuropathy Occur?

Neuropathy is an indicator of a problem within the nervous system (in this case damage to the spinal cord). When the neurons in the nerve cells are damaged or destroyed, the communication system between the nerves and the brain is damaged resulting in the sensations of pain, numbness or tingling.

In the case of traumatic spinal cord injury, the addition of neuropathy can make life extremely challenging. The pain and disability can cause emotional and physical distress. Nerve pain is notoriously difficult to treat and can result in self medication by individuals with drugs and alcohol and can also lead to difficulty with sleeping mood changes, and depression. Friends and family often bare the brunt of the patient’s frustrations and illness.

Is There a Treatment for Neuropathy?

New research is showing promise. Gene therapy has been promising. It inhibits targeted nerve cell signals and has effectively improved symptoms of neuropathic pain in mouse models. The treatment has shown no negative side effects in mice with spinal cold injury and peripheral nerve damage.

The research is being conducted by a team of scientists led by a group at UC San Diego School of Medicine.

The delivery and expression of the transgenes — GAD65 and VGAT — was restricted to the area of sciatic nerve injury in the mice and, as a result, there were no detectable side effects, such as motor weakness or loss of normal sensation. The production of GABA by the transgenes resulted in measurable inhibition of pain-signaling neurons in the mice, which persisted for at least 2.5 months after treatment.

What should I do if I or a loved one has been injured in an accident and has neuropathy?

Neuropathy and SCI is a complex medical condition and is frustrating, especially when the injury results from an accident that is caused by someone else’s negligence. If you have spinal cord injury or neuropathy due to an accident injury contact one of our personal injury lawyers today. You will need someone working in your corner to make sure you have the benefits you need for recovery and treatment.

About Deutschmann Law

Deutschmann Law serves South-Western Ontario with offices in Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Woodstock, Brantford, Stratford and Ayr. The law practice of Robert Deutschmann focuses almost exclusively in personal injury and disability insurance matters. For more information, please visit www.deutschmannlaw.com or call us at 1-519-742-7774.

It is important that you review your accident benefit file with one of our experienced personal injury / car accident lawyers to ensure that you obtain access to all your benefits which include, but are limited to, things like physiotherapy, income replacement benefits, vocational retraining and home modifications.