Do your legs always become disabled if you sanp your back?

Question

I have herd people breaking there back and not ending up in a wheelchair. However I have heard that your walking will never be normal again if you do break your back and don't end up paralysis

Answer 1

I broke my back about 25 years ago. I walked pretty much ok after I recovered for about 12 years. Then slowly my walking became harder and harder where now I can not even walk 25 feet comfortably.

People like me are called walking quads or paras. Our balance and endurance is often compromised. We often have a lot of pain issues, and/or parts of our body has no sensation.  

Answer 2

It just depends on what level the back was broken at and whether there was a complete or an incomplete spinal injury that occured to the spinal cord.

Answer 3

It depends how the back break there are partly paralysis.

But I wouldn't risk my luck  

Answer 4

Having had a back injury in the past makes you more likely to have back injuries in the future. The same is true with most injuries...once you sprain your ankle once, you are more likely to sprain it again, for example.

So, when one breaks one's back, they have to be more careful not to cause further injury to themselves.

There are also complications, such as a broken disc having to be replaced, rods in the back causing trouble because there's less flexibility in the back, etc, etc.

It just depends on where and how bad the break is.

Answer 5

Fortunately not all people who have broken their back is left paraplegic (legs only), quadriplegic or tetraplegic (arms & legs). It also depends on where the break is, the higher up the spine the break (cervical 1-7) the more likely they will be left in a wheel chair.

I personally know of a friend who should have been paraplegic, after being rear ended while riding a motor bike, to the amazement of his doctors he was walking, with a limp after about 18 months of intensive physiotherapy, I think about 9 months were spent in hospital. Aside from the limp he has aweful pain in his back and down his legs, his right side being the most affected with numbness. I think his break was thoracic 8 and cervical 7, he is what is called incomplete break.

If there was a choice between complete or incomplete spinal injury, a incomplete would be the better choice, as there is a higher chance of recovery.

Answer 6

it depends if you injure your spinal cord or not--

you can hurt your spine, but not your spinal cord

it also depends on where along the spine the injury is