Some spinal cord injury victims helped by hand surgery

There is good news for Worcester spinal cord injury victims: research out of Sweden shows that surgery can improve functionality of the hand.

With improved hand functionality, people can live more independent lives, performing more of their daily chores, and giving them a better range of leisure activities.

At the Shalgrenska University Hospital in Göteborg, surgeons have since the 1970s been performing the operations on people with paralysis after a spinal cord injury. A university graduate student has interviewed every person who has had the surgery at the hospital since 2003, and found that there is “a really high level of satisfaction” among them.

Approximately 40 percent of spinal cord injury patients in that country get the surgery. In the United States, it’s estimated that about 10 percent get it.

The researcher said patients appreciate the increased gripping power the surgery gives them, but more important, they enjoy more independence — improvement in their ability to take care of themselves — which expands social lives and enhances the outlook on life in general.

The clinic said few facilities in the world perform as many of the hand operations as it does, with spinal cord injury patients coming from across Europe.

It’s so often true that after a car accident, fall or other incident that causes a spinal cord injury and paralysis, the person wants to regain as much of their mobility and pre-accident life as possible.

In many cases in which the injury was caused by someone else’s recklessness or negligence, the victim can with the help of an experienced attorney receive compensation to pay for expensive surgeries, physical therapy and other procedures needed to improve the quality of life.

Source: MedicalXpress.com, “Hand surgery enhances life quality for those with spinal cord injuries,” March 25, 2013

• Our Massachusetts law firm represents clients in Worcester with severe injuries.