3 different costs of your SCI

You might feel confused and overwhelmed after receiving a spinal cord injury, whether due to a catastrophic car collision or a bad accident at work. An SCI not only affects you physically, but it also impacts your emotional well-being and your career.

Knowing what is ahead of you after suffering an SCI may help you recover—if not physically, then financially.

The physical costs

Your spine is a network of nerves that help you control your body. Damage to it impacts that in a variety of ways. You may experience numbness or tingling. The damage may be enough to restrict your movements. It may leave your fingers, limbs or even more of your body paralyzed for life.

The emotional costs

As the National Library of Medicine’s study suggests, suffering from an SCI may double your chances of depression or anxiety. This may come from adjusting to a new normal. It may further affect your ability to work, which leads to other stresses.

The financial costs

The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical center breaks down their costs by severity. Losing some motor control is one thing. Full paralysis is more expensive. These costs come in the form of surgery and physical therapy. Depending on your injury, your first-year costs may range from $375,000 to $1.14 million. Subsequent years cost less, but may still pressure your finances.

A spinal cord injury impacts you and your family. It might affect you the rest of your life. If you suffered the injury due to negligence, you may want to consult a legal professional. You might have options to recover some of these costs while confronting the others.