Facts about Spinal Cord Injuries

As someone with a spinal cord injury, I’m familiar with the situation of going from an active teenager to suddenly unable to move from the neck down. But for most people looking from the outside, that could be something unimaginable. Since 2019, researchers estimate that almost 18,000 people suffer spinal cord injuries each year and to date there are approximately 300,000 people in America living with an SCI. They can occur from anything such as motor vehicle accidents, sports, violence, medical, etc.

A spinal cord injury often causes permanent loss of strength, sensation, and function below the site of injury. Assistive and rehabilitation devices allow many people with SCI’s to live productive, independent lives. Treatment can help, but a spinal cord injury cannot be cured. With that, some forms of treatment include drugs and surgery to stabilize the spine along with guided help from various types of physical therapies.

There are no two spinal cord injuries alike. SCI’s can be divided into two categories- incomplete and complete. An incomplete spinal cord injury refers to partial damage to the spinal cord. In this case it may be crushed or bruised and the person either has motor function or sensation or both below the level of their injury. A complete spinal cord injury causes permanent damage to the area of the spinal cord that is affected.

Spinal cord injuries affect more men (about 80%) than women. The majority people who sustain an injury are young adults between the ages of 16 and 30. The latter two statements are mainly because riskier behavior is involved.

Another interesting fact is that people with SCI’s may not sweat. The spinal cord plays an integral role in the ability to sweat. When those suffer a spinal cord injury, the communication between the brain and sweat glands below the injury site may be impeded or eliminated depending on the level and severity. Often people whose sweating abilities are impacted and are unable to regulate their body temperatures.

Jenni