Nerves carry signals from your brain and spine to the rest of your body and vice versa. If you sustain any type of trauma that disrupts these connections, you can develop pain, numbness, tingling, and a lack of sensation and control of the impacted areas.
Unfortunately, nerve damage is a common problem that people face when they’re the victims of accidents or intentional misconduct. Learn more about nerve damage, what treatment options you may have, and if you can file a personal injury claim.
What Is Nerve Damage?
Nerve damage, which is also called neuropathy, is an injury or disruption of the nervous system in a way that interferes with your body’s ability to send and receive signals from your brain and spinal cord.
You have different types of nerves, including:
- Sensory nerves: Nerves that carry signals to your brain so that you can see, smell, touch, and hear
- Motor nerves: Nerves that carry signals to your glands and muscles so that you can function and move
- Autonomic nerves: Nerves that control automatic body functions like breathing, heart rate, and temperature
- Cranial nerves: Nerves that originate in your brain and extend to your head and neck (they can have motor or sensory functions, or both)
- Spinal nerves: Nerves that branch out from your spinal cord (they can have motor or sensory functions, or both)
The symptoms you experience if you sustain nerve damage will depend on the type of nerve impacted.
If a sensory nerve is damaged, you can experience burning pain, loss of positional awareness, numbness, and tingling.
Damage to a motor nerve can result in cramping, muscle weakness, twitching, and even paralysis.
A damaged autonomic nerve can lead to difficulty breathing, abnormal sweating, dizziness, and bladder or bowel issues.
Common causes of nerve damage are car and motorcycle accidents, slip and fall incidents, and assaults, but sports accidents can cause it, too. Some medical conditions, such as diabetes and autoimmune diseases, can also affect your nerves.
Diagnosing and Treating Nerve Damage
To diagnose the problem, your doctor will ask about your symptoms and perform a physical exam.
There will likely be other assessments, including:
- Blood test
- Nerve biopsy
- Electromyogram
- MRI
- Nerve ultrasound
The treatment options will depend on factors like the cause and severity of the condition. Medications may be necessary to address pain, and you may need to undergo physical and occupational therapy to learn how to live with the damage if it can’t be successfully treated.
Some people could benefit from wearable devices, such as walkers and braces, if nerve damage affects their mobility. If nerve compression is a problem, surgery could be necessary to relieve some or all of the symptoms.
Compensation You May Be Entitled to After Suffering Nerve Damage
If the nerve damage you sustained occurred because of another party’s conduct, filing a personal injury claim can give you the chance to recover your losses. If you are eligible, you could receive economic and non-economic damages as part of a settlement or jury award.
Economic damages help cover your medical expenses. These can be substantial when dealing with nerve damage. Hospital stays, medication costs, and physical therapy expenses can all be significant. You could also require ongoing care. Economic damages address your current and future medical needs.
Depending on the type of nerve damage you suffered, you may not be able to work for days or weeks. This can result in a significant loss of income on top of potentially overwhelming medical bills. Economic damages can cover these losses, too. If you won’t be able to return to work in the same capacity or in any type of work, you can claim loss of earning potential.
Not all losses come with receipts, however. Nerve damage can leave you with significant pain and emotional distress. You may not be able to enjoy the things you once loved, which can lead to further suffering. Non-economic damages cover these types of losses. The severity of the injury will help determine how much compensation you are entitled to.
Contact the Atlanta Personal Injury Lawyers at Hammers Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers for a Free Consultation
Suffering nerve damage in an incident that was someone else’s fault can leave you unsure of what your next steps should be. To recover your losses, the best option is to begin a personal injury claim so that you can obtain economic and non-economic damages.
These legal cases can be complex. You should not attempt them on your own because you could put your claim at risk. Instead, it’s essential that you hire experienced attorneys to represent you.
At Hammers Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers, we provide the assistance you need when beginning these cases. Schedule a free consultation to speak with one of our Atlanta personal injury attorneys about your rights at (770) 900-9000.
