Question
My girlfriend dove into a pool and jammed her head on the bottom of the pool. The next day she experienced pain in the neck and shoulders. She is able to function, ie.. walk, but is just experienceing pain. She does not have insurance so it's difficult to get her to go to the doctor to have xrays to insure that the injury isn't more serious than we might imagine. Is there anything I can do to know if the injury is serious enough for me to make her go and have it checked.

Answer
Tony,

First of all a spinal cord injury is nothing to fool around with.  I have been injured since July 20th, 1973.  And the last thing either of you need is for her to suffer more than she already is.  A spinal injury can result into paralysis, loss of bodily functions, difficulty breathing, and other things.  If either of you would like to talk to me, please email me and I would be more than happy to give you some insight into the life of a quadriplegic. I am not trying to scare your girlfriend or you.  But left untreated you may put yourself into a situation that could of been prevented if you would've decided to see somebody who had ths experience in this field.  

Sincerely,

Ken