A person can suffer a nerve injury for several different reasons. For example, a nerve injury could occur due to a car accident, a slip and fall accident, or even by simply stretching incorrectly. Since a nerve injury can develop over days, weeks, and maybe even months, it is sometimes difficult to pin down the exact cause of a nerve injury.
If you or a loved one was the victim of an accident which caused a nerve injury, you should speak with an experienced Philadelphia nerve damage attorney. The attorneys at The Reiff Law Firm have decades of experience handling personal injury cases and will put this experience to work for you. If you wish to speak with a dedicated personal injury attorney, contact the law practice of The Reiff Law Firm at (215) 709-6940 or contact us online.
Common Causes of Nerve Injuries
Nerves are the body’s system for carrying messages between the brain and the rest of the nerves present in the body. Different nerves carry messages to different parts of the body. For example, sensory nerves carry sensory information toward the Central Nervous System (CNS). As implied, sensory information refers to our sense of touch and how we interact with a tangible environment. You can lose or severely impair your sense of touch if you suffer an injury to a sensory nerve.
Autonomic nerves control the automatic functions in our body, like heartbeats and breathing. An injury to an autonomic nerve can have fatal effects if left without treatment.
Suffering an injury that damages your nerves can affect your ability to work and threaten other aspects of your life as well. Many common nervous injuries occur in workplace accidents such as:
- Electrocution
- Repetitive Stress Injuries
- Slip and Fall Accidents
- Exposure to Toxic Chemicals
- Heavy Machinery Accidents
- Overexertion
- Lacerations and Cuts
- Motor Vehicle Accidents
- Excessive Pressure
Another common example of injury associated with nerve damage is carpal tunnel syndrome. Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when too much pressure is applied to the median nerve in a person’s hand from repetitive stress. Carpal tunnel syndrome can degrade the median nerve steadily over time or very quickly if trauma was sustained to the median nerve. This causes pain and numbness in the hands and fingers, making many tasks that use your fine motor skills more difficult or painful.
Signs of Nerve Damage
Symptoms of nerve damage can be experienced in a variety of ways. Here are some of the symptoms of nerve damage to watch for:
- Numbness – Feelings of numbness can spring from your hands, feet, arms, or legs. If a numbness lasts an unusually long time, it may be a sign you have nerve damage.
- Pain – Sometimes numbness and “pins and needles” sensations can come with moderate to severe pain.
- Immobility – Motor nerves communicate with our muscles to control our voluntary movements. If your motor nerves are injured, you may feel weakness in parts of your body or even paralysis.
- Frequent Bathroom Usage – Damaged nerves may send false messages to your bladder. These false messages trigger feelings of needing to urinate when you do not have to, or you may fail to recognize when you do need to use the bathroom.
This is not an all-inclusive list of symptoms associated with nerve damage. If you believe you are suffering nerve damage after an accident or injury, you should seek immediate medical attention.
Treatment for Nerve Damage
It is difficult to determine when and if a person suffering from nerve damage will recover. Nerve injuries can take weeks to appear and may take years of recovery to heal. In some cases, a complete recovery from a nerve injury may be impossible, since nerves do not regenerate in the same way as bone, skin, or muscle tissue. However, treatments for nerve injuries exist and may help, depending on the type and extent of the damage.
People who suffer from nerve injuries can be given a variety of treatments, like cortisone injections to reduce pain and inflammation. In some cases, steroids may be carefully administered to those suffering from nerve damage.
Many individuals are encouraged to attend physical therapy to decrease pain and stiffness, and to increase functionality and mobility. Individuals who cannot continue to work due to a nerve injury may require retraining to find other employment they can perform with their injury.
Nerves which have literally been severed may require surgery to reattach healthy nerves or to perform a nerve graft to replace dead nerves.
If you or a loved one has suffered a nerve injury at work or anywhere else because of the negligent or intentional actions of another person, you should speak with a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible.
If You Suffered Nerve Damage as a Result of Someone Else’s Negligence, Our Lawyers Can Help
The Philadelphia personal injury lawyers at The Reiff Law Firm understand the frustration of suffering an injury that can potentially uproot your life. Our lawyers have worked with residents of Philadelphia for over 35 years and have worked tirelessly to secure the compensation they deserve for their injuries. If you are considering filing a personal injury claim for your nerve injuries, call us today at (215) 709-6940.
