A spinal cord injury is defined as any wound to the spine that temporarily or permanently impairs normal functions. According to the experts at the Mayo Clinic, there are two guiding components of an SCI that typically determine the extent of the damage: “the place of the injury along the spinal cord and the severity of injury to the spinal cord.” Generally speaking, the higher along the spinal cord an injury occurs, the more feeling – and function – is likely to be lost.

The severity of the injury is often called “the completeness,” and can be classified one of two ways:

• Complete. If the injury has left someone without feeling or motor functions below the point of injury, it’s described as complete.
• Incomplete. If the injury has left some motor or sensory functions below the point of injury, it’s classified as incomplete. Incomplete injuries can vary greatly.

The completeness or incompleteness of a spinal injury can be further classified by using an impairment scale score from the American Spinal Injury Association. This AIS (ASIA Impairment Scale) score is broken down into five ratings ranging from most complete to most incomplete:

• GRADE A: The area below the injury is completely lacking of either motor or sensory functions.
• GRADE B: There is sensation below the injury site, but no motor function.
• GRADE C: Some, but less than half, of the muscle control functions below the site of injury are present.
• GRADE D: Most but not all of the sensory and motor functions below the site of injury are present.
• GRADE E: All sensory & motor function below the site of injury has returned.

After the initial diagnosis, many SCI patients see improvement in their sensory & control abilities during the first few months. This recovery is more likely if the injury was originally diagnosed as incomplete. However, after six to twelve months, the amount of functionality a patient will recover on their own has usually reached its limit.

Finally, paralysis –the inability to move or even feel parts of the body – that occurs as a result of an SCI is referred to as:

• Tetraplegia, or quadriplegia: This leaves the injured person without the ability to move or feel their arms, hands, trunk, legs, and pelvic organs.
• Paraplegia: This type of paralysis can affect all or some of the trunk, legs, and pelvic organs.

According to data from the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, “incomplete tetraplegia is the most frequent neurological category followed by incomplete paraplegia, complete paraplegia, and complete tetraplegia.” Additionally, less than 1 percent of those who suffered an SCI experienced complete neurological recovery by the time of hospital discharge.

If an accident has left you with an SCI, check out our SCI resources page or fill out our contact form for help today.

Who is at Risk of Spinal Cord Injury?

Spinal cord injuries, or SCIs as they’re commonly called, are more prevalent than most people realize. Anyone can suffer a serious, traumatic injury to their spinal cord under the right (or rather, wrong) circumstances.

Statistically, men are much more likely to suffer these debilitating injuries, making up 81 percent of victims. Younger people are also much more likely to suffer a spinal cord injury, with more than half of them striking people between the ages 16 to 30. As lifespans increase and medical advancements allow adults to remain active well into their old age, however, the average age of SCI victims has begun to climb. According to a 2018 report by the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistics Center, the average age of spinal cord injury victims rose from 29 in the 1970s to the current average age of 42.

What are the Causes of Spinal Cord Injury?

Most often, SCIs are the result of sudden, acute trauma to any part of the spinal cord, whether it’s the vertebrae, or the ligaments (known as disks). The damage can be from blunt force trauma or through penetration, such as damage from a sharp object.

The most common causes of SCIs caused by trauma, according to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, include:

• Motor vehicle accidents: These were responsible for more than 10,000 SCI injuries in 2014, the most recent year for which data is available. That’s nearly a third of all SCIs.
• Falls: A fall accounted for nearly 6,700 SCIs – or nearly 22 percent of the total. Falls are the leading cause of injury among the elderly population. Additionally, men were four times more likely to suffer an injury from a fall.
• Gunshot wounds. Gunshot wounds contributed to a little more than 15 percent of SCIs in 2014. And, again, men were four times more likely to be injured this way than women.
• Diving incidents. These accounted for about 6 percent of injuries. Men were 10 times more likely to be hurt in a diving accident than women.

These four causes contribute to more than half of all SCIs. It’s not uncommon for someone who has suffered a SCI to experience both physical and psychological trauma from the event, leaving many SCI victims to feel terrified and alone. Seeking professional medical, psychological and, in cases where the injury was the cause of another’s actions or negligence, legal help in the aftermath of a spinal cord injury is critical to help those suffering return to their highest possible post-injury quality of life.

Causes of non-traumatic SCIs, according to the Mayo Clinic, can include “arthritis, cancer, inflammation, infections or disk degeneration of the spine.”

What are Signs of a Spinal Cord Injury?

The aftermath of an accident can be a blur. Although it might be readily apparent that you’ve suffered an SCI, especially if you can’t move, there are other symptoms that might suggest you’ve been hurt more seriously than you realize. Immediate symptoms after an accident can include:

• Extreme back pain or pressure in the neck, head or back.
• Weakness, sudden lack of coordination or paralysis in any part of the body.
• Numbness, tingling, or a complete loss of sensation in the extremities, such as the hands, fingers, feet or toes.
• Loss of bladder or bowel control.
• Difficulty balancing and walking.
• Impaired breathing.
• A twisted neck or back.

Other signs can include:

• Loss of movement.
• Loss or altered sensation, including the ability to feel heat, cold and touch.
• Loss of bowel or bladder control.
• Exaggerated reflex activities or spasms.
• Changes in sexual function, sexual sensitivity and fertility.
• Pain or an intense stinging sensation caused by damage to the nerve fibers in your spinal cord.
• Difficulty breathing, coughing or clearing secretions from your lungs.

If you or someone you know has suffered a spinal cord injury, use our listed SCI resources or contact us directly to get assistance.