Study links delays in spinal cord rehabilitation to worse outcomes

The study is based on data about nearly 4,000 people who sustained a spinal injury between 2000 and 2014. The patients in the study were mostly male and white, and 17 percent suffered injury to the C1 to C4 vertebrae, the most severe type of spinal damage.

Researchers examined the number of days that passed between each patient’s injury and when he or she was admitted to an inpatient rehabilitation facility. They also used various measurements to determine patient outcomes, both when the patients were discharged from the rehab facility and a year after the sustained their injuries.

The researchers found that starting rehab earlier led to “modest” improvements in function and physical independence, News-medical.net reports, and a relatively longer than average wait to start rehab was associated with significantly worse scores on motor and physical independence tests.

Unfortunately, there are often reasons for delays in rehab, which can include underlying illnesses and separate medical issues. These are obviously beyond the patient’s control, but may determine his or her long-term quality of life.

Whether you are able to get into rehab quickly or not, it is likely that your life will never be the same as it was before the injury. You should not have to bear the financial implications of this if your injury was caused by someone else’s negligence. Tha is why you need to do the necessary research to find an attorney who has both experience with spinal cord injuries and the ability to personally work with you to determine how to best protect your long-term interests.