Spinal cord injuries usually happen to young people, with males between 15 and 35 being the most commonly affected.
There are between 250,000 and 400,000 people in the U.S. who have spinal cord injuries, with 11,000 more added every year.
There are about 30 new spinal cord injuries every day and most of them are results of auto and sports accidents and falls.
It is possible for a person to break their back or neck without sustaining a spinal cord injury. This can happen if only the bones around the spinal cord are damaged, but not the cord itself.
There are two main types of spinal cord injuries: complete and incomplete.
Complete – No function of sensation or movement below the area of injury; both sides totally affected
Incomplete – Some functioning below the primary area of injury; partial functioning in one or both limbs; varied degree of mobility
Classification of spinal cord injuries usually falls into these two categories:
Tetraplegia – New name for quadriplegia; loss of muscle strength in both arms and both legs
Paraplegia – Injury affects the thoracic, lumbar, or sacral segments.