While the severity and location of the injury are critical factors in determining how an SCI will affect a given individual, all of the factors that determine patient impact are not fully understood.1
Approximately one quarter of a million Americans are currently living with an SCI, and each year there are approximately 11,000 new SCIs reported in the United States, according to the University of Alabama–Birmingham (UAB) National SCI Statistical Center (www.spinalcord.uab.edu).2
In most instances, SCIs caused by trauma are avoidable. Since 2000, motor vehicle crashes account for 46.9% of reported SCI cases. The next most common cause of SCI is falls, followed by acts of violence (primarily gunshot wounds), and recreational sporting activities. The proportion of injuries that are due to sports has decreased over time while the proportion of injuries due to falls has increased. Acts of violence caused 13.3% of spinal cord injuries prior to 1980, and peaked between 1990 and 1999 at 24.8% before declining to only 13.7% since 2000.2
During the same period, 77.8% of those sustaining new SCIs were men and most were between 16 and 30 years old. During that same period, about 41.5% of patients with severe SCI were paraplegic with partial or complete loss of muscle control, motor skill and sensory perception in their legs and in either a portion of or their entire torso. People with paraplegia typically retain full arm control. In most cases paraplegia results from an injury to the spinal cord in the mid and lower back. And about 52.4% of people with severe SCI were quadriplegic, lacking muscle control, motor skill and sensory perception in all four limbs and in their torso. Quadriplegia generally results from a spinal cord injury to the neck above the thoracic vertebrae. In some cases, patients retain some sensation and movement in their arms and legs. Quadriplegics may also experience respiratory problems.2
SCIs can have a dramatic impact on quality of life. In addition to mobility and walking, SCIs can affect bowel and bladder control as well as sexual function. Common medical complications for SCI patients include: chronic pain, muscle spasms, bladder and bowel dysfunction, autonomic dysreflexia, osteoporosis, skin breakdown, respiratory and heart problems. Other complications stem from the brain’s inability to communicate to a body part controlled by the damaged spinal nerve.2