Bladder and Bowel Effects of a Spinal Cord Injury: What New Mexico Families Should Know

Bladder, bowel and sexual function losses can be part of spinal cord injury damages in New Mexico. They can count as both money losses and personal harms. This page explains how they are described, what they cost and how they are documented.

Why Bladder, Bowel and Sexual Function Losses Matter in a Spinal Cord Injury Claim

These losses matter because they change daily life in ways that are easy to miss. You may be reading this from a hospital chair or a rehab room. You may be caring for a spouse, parent or adult child who is facing these changes for the first time. That is a hard place to stand, and you don’t need every medical detail today.

Changes in bladder, bowel and sexual function often come with a spinal cord injury. They are also the hardest topics to raise. Many families focus on walking, arm function or surgery first. Then the quieter losses show up at home, at work and in private life.

In a claim, these losses are part of the harm from the injury itself. They are considered alongside the physical injury. Naming them early, in your own words, helps make sure they appear in the record. This page covers the medical background, the costs, the non-economic harms and the evidence that supports them.

How Spinal Cord Injuries Can Affect Bladder and Bowel Function

A spinal cord injury can disrupt the nerve signals that control the bladder and bowel. The level and completeness of the injury shape which functions are affected.

Doctors often call bladder problems caused by nerve damage neurogenic bladder. The bladder may not empty fully, or it may not signal when it is full. Many people drain urine with a catheter, a thin tube, on a set schedule. Catheter use can raise the risk of urinary tract infections. An infection can bring fever, pain and more medical care.

Neurogenic bowel works in a similar way. The bowel may not move on its usual schedule, or emptying may take real effort. Many people follow a bowel management routine. That routine can include set times, diet changes, medicines or help with emptying. These routines take time every day. They can shape travel, work, sleep and social plans.

Rehabilitation teams usually work on these needs over time, and the medical picture can shift. That is why careful records matter. Each change in routine, supply or treatment becomes part of the story of the injury.

How Sexual Function Changes After a Spinal Cord Injury

Sexual function can change after a spinal cord injury because of both physical and emotional effects. Those effects vary widely from one person to the next.

Physical changes depend on where and how the spinal cord was hurt. Some people notice changes in sensation or arousal. Others face difficulties that call for medical or rehabilitation support. Doctors and rehab teams may discuss options. The patient’s own account is an important part of the record.

The emotional side often weighs just as much. A person may feel less confident about their body or worry about how a partner sees them. Couples may find it hard to talk about intimacy. Their closeness may shift in ways neither expected. Families often describe a loss of closeness that never shows up on a chart.

This part of a claim is private, and it doesn’t need graphic detail. Describing changes honestly to a doctor, counselor or lawyer helps the full picture come through. Avoid guessing about anyone’s condition. The medical records and the injured person’s own account carry the most weight.

Economic Damages: Medical Supplies, Treatment and Future Costs

Economic damages are the measurable money losses from an injury. For bladder and bowel care, they include medical bills, medications, supplies and equipment.

Supplies add up quickly. Catheters, gloves, pads, wipes and bowel care products get used again and again. Keep every receipt and invoice. Ask your providers for a written list of the supplies you need each month. That list gives a clear starting point for costs.

Future costs take more work to estimate. Some cases use life care planning, a method in which medical and care professionals project future needs and prices. These projections are built around the facts of each case, including medical opinions and current prices.

Lost earnings count too. Pay stubs, tax records and employer letters help show this.

Help with daily personal needs is also a real cost. For more on how that help is counted, see spinal cord injury attendant care costs in New Mexico.

Non-Economic Damages: Pain, Loss of Enjoyment and Emotional Harm

Non-economic damages cover harms that don’t come with a receipt. These include physical pain, emotional distress and loss of enjoyment of life.

Loss of bladder, bowel or sexual function can add to these harms. Some people feel embarrassed about accidents in public or at work. Others live with anxiety about leaving home without a bathroom plan. Night-time catheter changes and bowel routines can break up sleep. Each of these affects how a person lives day to day.

Family life changes too. A parent may need help with tasks. A partner may take on work that was once shared. These strains are part of the harm the injured person feels. For a fuller look, see pain and suffering damages in New Mexico.

A spouse or partner may have a separate claim. New Mexico recognizes loss of consortium, a claim to recover compensation for damage to certain relationships, in which the claimant must show a mutually dependent relationship with the injured person and that they relied on that relationship and could not enjoy life in the same way. Under UJI 13-1810A, the claimant must show a mutually dependent relationship. That means they relied on each other and could not enjoy life in the same way after the injury. In deciding whether a relationship is mutually dependent, factors to consider may include the duration of the relationship and whether the loss of consortium claimant and the injured party or decedent were members of the same household (UJI 13-1810A NMRA). Whether a claim exists depends on the facts and the governing law.

How These Losses Are Documented and Proven

Medical records are the foundation of proof. They should connect bladder, bowel or sexual function changes to the accident.

New Mexico’s causation instruction says an act is a cause of injury if it contributes to bringing about the injury. UJI 13-305 includes an optional bracketed clause stating that the injury would not have occurred without the act, omission or condition. The cause must be reasonably connected as a significant link to the injury. See UJI 13-305. A cause also need not be the only explanation for the injury, nor the reason that is nearest in time or place. See Herrera v. Quality Pontiac.

Useful proof often includes:

• Medical records from hospital, rehab, urology and other providers
• A daily log of routines, supplies, accidents, sleep and activity limits
• Receipts for supplies and medications
• Information on how the person functioned before the accident, including work and daily tasks
• Medical opinions and life care plans for future needs

Fault matters too.

Talking With a New Mexico Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer

If you’re weighing these questions for someone you love, a conversation can help you sort out what the records and costs mean. You may be making decisions under real stress. You don’t need every answer before you reach out.

El Gringo Law represents people in New Mexico who have been hurt in car accidents, trucking accidents and other incidents, including spinal cord injuries. Josh Wood is the responsible lawyer for this page. Read more on our New Mexico spinal cord injury lawyer page.

Our free initial consultation is confidential and has no obligation to continue.

If bladder, bowel or intimacy changes followed a crash in your family, send us a message through our contact form. We’ll talk through what it means for your situation.

Frequently Asked Questions