An accident that results in a debilitating injury, such as a spinal cord injury, can be life changing. And, while medical technology and knowledge is constantly evolving, for certain injury types, the only treatment options that may be available may be experimental via trial or test groups. If you have been severely injured and have explored all traditional treatment options for your injury and are interested in joining a test/trial group, here is a brief overview of what you need to know:
Why Consider Joining an Experimental Treatment Group?
Experimental medicine is a hotly debated topic. For those who have not seen results with traditional medicine and treatment types, however, experimental medicine can be a last resort, as well as an amazing opportunity. Clinical trials can provide eye-opening data and research about new drugs, treatments, procedures, and therapies, often bettering the lives of the patients involved in the trials, and thousands of persons thereafter – without clinical trials, knowing whether a new medical technology works or not is impossible. However, it is important to note that not all trial tests of treatments end well; some may not yield the results researchers and patients are hoping for, and some may even be dangerous or have adverse side effects.
What You Should Know About Trial Treatments for Spinal Cord Injuries
Before you join a clinical trial, you should weigh the decision heavily. Not only may clinical trials, as mentioned above, have potential dangers, but unscrupulous organizations may try to take advantage of persons who are desperate for a cure. The International Campaign for Cures of spinal cord injury Paralysis advises that a person only participate in a clinical trial that is properly designed and conducted, and when there is evidence of the treatment’s efficacy from animal studies.
How to Learn About Clinical Trials
Your healthcare provider is probably the best source of information when it comes to learning about ongoing clinical trials that are designed to treat the injury from which you are suffering.
However, you can also use ClinicalTrials.gov to find different studies, learn about your rights and best practices during a clinical trial, search results of different studies that have already been conducted, and learn important questions to ask before committing to a clinical trial. If you have suffered a spinal cord injury, you can also visit the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation’s Paralysis Resource Center to discover information about whether or not there are clinical trials that you may qualify for.
How a Spinal Cord Injury Attorney Can Help You
At the Ladah Injury & Car Accident Lawyers Las Vegas, our attorneys understand that your spinal cord injury has left you with crushing medical bills, and an inability to live your life as you once did. While we cannot help you medically, we can advocate on your behalf to ensure that you get the money that you need to pay for your day-to-day expenses, as well as the medical treatment that you need. For a free case consultation to learn more about how we can assist you, call our experienced Las Vegas spinal cord injury lawyers today at 702-252-0055.
