The month of September is recognized across the globe as Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month, but what does that actually mean? Back in May, I created a post describing SCI Awareness Day, but I wanted to take the opportunity to start the month of September by sharing some information and statistics regarding SCI.
A spinal cord injury (SCI) occurs when damage to the spinal cord disrupts the brain’s ability to send and receive signals to the body. This can cause a loss of movement, sensation, or control below the level of injury. Injuries are classified as either complete, when all function and sensation below the injury site are lost, or incomplete, when some level of movement or feeling remains.
In the United States, it is estimated that about 302,000 people are living with SCI, with an additional 18,000 new cases each year (National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center [NSCISC], 2021). Most injuries occur in men (about 79%), and the average age at the time of injury is now around 43 years, reflecting both an aging population and changes in injury causes (NSCISC, 2021; Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, 2023). The leading causes include motor vehicle accidents, falls, acts of violence, and sports or recreational injuries (Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, 2023).
Globally, the numbers are even more striking. Between 15 and 20 million people are estimated to be living with SCI worldwide, with nearly 900,000 new cases each year (Wu et al., 2022; World Health Organization [WHO], 2013). Prevalence and incidence vary widely depending on region, ranging from fewer than 300 cases per million people to more than 1,200 per million (Singh et al., 2024). The global disability burden is significant, with more than 6 million years lived with disability attributed to SCI in 2019, an increase of over 65% since 1990 (Liu et al., 2023).
While spinal cord injury is life-changing, advances in acute care, rehabilitation, and assistive technology continue to improve survival rates and quality of life. Understanding these statistics highlights the scale of the challenge and the importance of continued research and advocacy. Which is why I will never stop what I’m doing! Thanks for reading and please consider subscribing to posts as I will be posting a lot this month to recognize SCI Awareness Month.
References
Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. (2023). Paralysis and spinal cord injury statistics. Retrieved from https://www.christopherreeve.org/todays-care/paralysis-help-overview/stats-about-paralysis/
Liu, S., Wang, L., & Wu, J. (2023). Global burden of spinal cord injury: Incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability, 1990–2019. Frontiers in Neurology, 14, 1304153. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2023.1304153
Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. (2023). Spinal cord injury statistics. Retrieved from https://www.themiamiproject.org/resources/statistics/
National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center. (2021). Facts and figures at a glance. Birmingham, AL: University of Alabama at Birmingham. Retrieved from https://medicine.umich.edu/sites/default/files/content/downloads/NSCISC%20SCI%20Facts%20and%20Figures%202021.pdf
Singh, A., Tetreault, L., Kalsi-Ryan, S., Nouri, A., & Fehlings, M. G. (2024). Global epidemiology of traumatic spinal cord injury: A systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Medicine, 22, 3514. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-024-03514-9
World Health Organization. (2013). Spinal cord injury fact sheet. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/spinal-cord-injury
Wu, J., Liu, S., Chen, G., & Xu, W. (2022). Global, regional, and national burden of spinal cord injury, 1990–2019: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study. The Lancet Neurology, 21(12), 1020–1035. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(23)00287-9.