Spinal cord injury or nerve damage? Knowing the difference can shape your claim

A crash can leave someone with weakness, numbness, or a diagnosis that is hard to follow. If you are reading those medical terms for a family member, the words matter. A spinal cord injury is damage to the spinal cord itself. Nerve damage usually means injury to nerves outside the cord. For a New Mexico injury claim, that difference shapes the records, the testing, and the timing.

What a Spinal Cord Injury Is

A spinal cord injury is physical damage to the spinal cord, the bundle of nerve tissue inside the spinal column that carries signals between the brain and the body. It is an injury, not a neurological disease. Trauma such as a car crash, a fall, or a hard impact is a common cause. The effects are neurological, but the root cause is physical damage to the cord.

Doctors often describe these injuries as complete or incomplete. A complete injury means no movement or feeling below the point of damage. An incomplete injury leaves some function. The level of the spine involved also matters, because different levels control different body areas. Early care matters because the medical team needs a full picture of the injury from the start.

Only the treating medical team makes a diagnosis. The terms here help you read the paperwork. Your family member’s diagnosis comes from their own medical team.

What Nerve Damage Means Outside the Spinal Cord

Nerve damage usually means injury to a peripheral nerve. These nerves run from the spinal cord and its roots out to the arms, legs, and organs. A crash can stretch, compress, or tear them. A fracture near a nerve path can damage them too. The brachial plexus, the bundle of nerves that runs from the neck into the shoulder and arm, is one nerve structure that can be hurt in a crash.

Numbness, tingling, weakness, and pain can show up with either type of injury. That overlap is why doctors often separate the two through testing rather than symptoms alone. Some nerve injuries improve over time, and some do not. The outlook depends on the cause, the location, and what the medical team documents. Nerve damage can be serious and long-lasting, so it should never be dismissed as minor.

Why the Label on Medical Records Shapes a Claim

The words in medical charts, imaging reports, and discharge summaries are the starting point for how an injury is described in a claim. Insurers and the other side’s lawyers read those same records. A vague or inconsistent diagnosis can raise questions about how the injury happened and how far it reaches.

A documented spinal cord injury often brings different questions than a documented peripheral nerve injury. Those questions can include permanence, future medical care, and help with daily living. They shape which records a lawyer asks the medical team to complete.

The records also need to connect the injury to the crash. Under UJI 13-305 NMRA, an act is a “cause” of injury if it contributes to bringing about the injury; the instruction includes a bracketed clause stating that the injury would not have occurred without the act, and the act must be reasonably connected as a significant link to the injury. It need not be the only explanation. Under the instruction, an act is a “cause” of harm if it contributes to bringing about the harm, and it must be reasonably connected as a significant link to the harm.

Tests That Help Doctors Tell the Two Apart

Imaging and nerve tests help doctors sort the two injury types. MRI and CT scans show structures such as the spinal cord, the vertebrae, the discs, and the tissue around them. These images help show where damage sits.

Electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction studies measure how electrical signals move through peripheral nerves and muscles. A neurological exam records strength, reflexes, sensation, and function in each body area. Repeating that exam over time shows whether function is changing.

Keep copies of every test result, and write down the dates. Ask the treating providers to explain findings in writing. Gaps in follow-up care can give the other side questions to ask, so keep appointments and note any missed ones with the reason. Only the treating team can read an individual’s results.

How the Difference Affects Damages in a New Mexico Claim

Future needs such as therapy, medications, equipment, and home modifications need a medical reason and a paper trail. A spinal cord diagnosis often brings those future needs into view sooner, which is why the diagnosis matters early.

New Mexico uses comparative negligence (shared fault), a rule the state adopted in Scott v. Rizzo in 1981. If the injured person shares fault, damages are reduced by that percentage, as UJI 13-2218 NMRA explains. Partial fault does not by itself end a claim.

A spouse or close family member may have a separate loss of consortium claim (a claim for the loss of a close relationship). The value of any claim depends on the facts of that case.

Time Limits and Early Steps in New Mexico

New Mexico generally gives three years to bring an action for injury to a person, under NMSA 1978, § 37-1-8. Wrongful death claims have their own three-year limit under NMSA 1978, § 41-2-2, which starts on the date of death.

Deadlines have exceptions, so the dates in any one case need close review. A common mistake is waiting until treatment ends to ask about deadlines. Medical care can run for months, and waiting can use up time you cannot get back.

Keep every bill, medical record, photo, and insurance letter. Write down when symptoms started and the date of each appointment.

Talking Through Your Situation with El Gringo Law

To make sense of a spinal or nerve diagnosis, start with the records and the timeline. Josh Wood is the responsible lawyer for this page, and he is licensed in New Mexico and Arizona. Our team can review how the injury is described in the medical records and help you prepare questions for the next appointment. For more on these claims, read the New Mexico spinal cord injury guide.

If you are trying to make sense of a diagnosis for someone you love after a crash, our team can talk it through with you. A free initial consultation is confidential and carries no obligation to continue. Contact El Gringo Law at elgringolaw.com or through the contact form.