Defining and Detecting a Thoracic Spine Injury

There are 12 thoracic vertebrae, each with a pair of nerves traveling from them to parts of the body. The location of the thoracic vertebrae is just below the shoulder and above the hip areas. The nerves exiting the top two thoracic vertebrae (T1 and T2) control signals to the inside of the arm. The remaining thoracic nerves (T3 to T12) control nerve signals to the rest of the body. Bodily injuries to the thoracic spine are most common in car and other motor vehicle accidents, as well as sports injuries. Rarely, a whiplash type case with brachial plexus injuries can involve the thoracic nerve, resulting in paralysis. Usually the rib cage helps to protect the Thoracic spine but Thoracic spine injuries can result in paraplegia or quadriplegia, depending upon the level of the injury.

How do Medical Doctors and Chiropractors Diagnose a Thoracic Spine Injury?

The spinal cord can be compressed or severed at the point of a spinal fracture (point of trauma). The first test a doctor will order is usually an X-ray, followed by a CT scan or an MRI, or both. (CT scans generally show bones better, while MRIs show soft tissue injuries better.). Of course, variances occur depending on the type of magnet used. An initial diagnosis is made when the patient is first admitted to the hospital, depending on the severity of the accident, but the final level of functioning that a person achieves will not be known until swelling of the spinal cord has gone down and he or she has undergone rehabilitation. Also, with time, the muscle spasms will decrease that will help show the Thoracic injury. Steroids are used to reduce swelling, and the injured person will be immobilized for a period of time. If a bone fracture or fragment is pressing on the nerve, the patient will also undergo surgery.

Mark C. Blane is a San Diego Brain Injury Attorney and the managing lawyer of the Law Offices of Mark C. Blane, a San Diego, California Personal Injury Law Firm dedicated to representing families of people injured with brain and head injuries, or spinal cord damage. If you or a loved one has been killed or injured in a head injury accident in California, due to the negligence of another, please order your free copy of Mr. Blane's book, The 10 Secrets You Need To Know About Your Injury Case, BEFORE You Call A Lawyer. It is full of helpful information that will help you protect your legal rights and it normally sells for $16.95. However, it is free to all California residents, or those injured in an California accident.

More Legal Questions About San Diego California Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Accidents?

Do you have more legal questions about San Diego California Spinal Cord and Brain Injury & Accident cases?  Return to the California Brain & Spinal Cord Injuries Frequently Asked Legal Questions page. 
 

The Law Offices of Mark C. Blane, APC

GOLDEN EAGLE PLAZA

525 B Street, 15th Floor

Toll Free:  (888) 845-6269

Direct:  (619) 813-7955
  The San Diego Spinal Cord & Brain Injury & Accident Attorney that offers FREE books to anyone BEFORE they speak to a Lawyer, or a Claims Adjuster, and signs any Forms; also we represent clients across Southern California including the following areas: 

Alpine, Bonita, Camp Pendleton, Cardiff by the Sea, Carlsbad, Chula Vista, Coronado, Del Mar, Downtown San Diego, El Cajon, El Centro, Encinitas, Escondido, Imperial Beach, Julian, La Jolla, Lakeside, La Mesa, Lemon Grove, National City, Ocean Beach, Oceanside, Pacific Beach, Poway, Ramona, Rancho Bernardo,San Marcos, Santee, Rancho Bernardo, Ramona, San Diego, Solana Beach, Spring Valley, Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach, San Ysidro, Julian,Lakeside, Vista and all other areas in San Diego County. We also proudly serve the following Southern California areas of: Imperial,Riverside, Orange, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Ventura, and Kern Counties.