When someone suffers from a spinal cord injury, they may spend less time outdoors. This could potentially lead to a vitamin D deficiency, which sometimes results in bone pain and muscle weakness, and has been linked to an increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cognitive impairment. Being that muscle weakness can also be an issue for spinal cord sufferers, one research team tried to see if supplementation of vitamin D would lead to improvement. The following outlines what they found.
Muscle Strength, Depression, Fatigue, and Vitamin D Supplementation
The study, which looked at 42 patients with spinal cord injuries (20 with acute spinal cord injuries and 22 with chronic spinal cord injuries), examined the effect of high-dose and recommended dose supplementation on muscle strength, depression, and fatigue. What they found was that, overall, the group assigned to high-dose vitamin D experienced a quick and dramatic reduction in their symptoms of depression and muscle weakness.
This suggests that previous studies, which have found that spinal injury victims are four to five times more likely to experience a vitamin D sufficiency, may have been accurate. It also suggests that, to quickly improve the patient’s condition, a high dose may be favorable over a low one, at least for the first three months. Of course, more research is needed, and one should never take supplements without first speaking with their doctor. However, the information could prove to be valuable in discussing possible treatments to improve a spinal cord victim’s overall quality of life.
Improving Quality of Life
For spinal cord injury victims, even the smallest improvement can feel like a milestone. This is exactly why victims deserve the right to pursue compensation for injuries caused by negligence; they should be able to receive the quality medical care they desperately need to improve their overall quality of life. Further, they and their families should not have to bear the burden of any financial issues that arise out of an injury on their own. Unfortunately, victims do not always receive fair and just treatment in their accident claims. Instead, insurance companies focus on minimizing the damage to avoid payout.
At Herrling Clark Law Firm, Ltd., we recognize the massive struggles that spinal cord injury victims and their families face. We advocate for their rights and aggressively pursue the most compensation possible. Schedule your consultation with our Green Bay personal injury attorneys today to learn more about how we can help with your case. Call 920-739-7366.
Sources:
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/870992
http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/vitamin-d-deficiency#1