What is SCI?

The spinal cord consists of millions of nerve fibers that conduct messages between the brain and the body that allow us to breathe, feel, move and walk. A spinal cord injury (SCI) occurs when trauma or disease damages the spinal cord and results in partial or complete paralysis.

What is paraplegia and tetraplegia (quadriplegia)?

The level of paralysis is determined by where the damage occurs in the neck or back.

Paraplegia is the complete or partial loss of sensation and movement in legs and in part or all of the trunk, usually resulting from damage to the spinal cord in the lower back.

Tetraplegia, or quadriplegia, is complete or partial paralysis of all four limbs (from the neck down) resulting from injury to the neck.

The severity of the paralysis is determined by the extent of damage to the spinal cord at any particular level. Generally, the injury is considered to be complete if there is complete loss of voluntary movement and sensation below the level of the injury; otherwise, the injury is considered to be incomplete.

Typical categories of SCI

• Traumatic injury resulting from physical trauma to the spinal cord, caused by motor vehicle crashes, falls, sports injuries, or other incidents.
• Acquired diseases that can cause tumors or cysts on the spine, or viral or bacterial infections (including polio). Other diseases such as multiple sclerosis can, in some cases, deteriorate to the point of causing lesions on the spinal cord that can result in paralysis.
• Congenital disorders, such as spina bifida, where the spinal cord is malformed or exposed at birth.

Is there a cure for SCI?

Damage to the spinal cord due to an injury can be permanent and a cure remains elusive. However, new research proves that spinal cord repair and regeneration is possible. More and more researchers around the world believe that a cure for paralysis is possible. Meanwhile, improvements in rehabilitation medicine continue to minimize disability after SCI. In addition, new breakthroughs and discoveries are helping people to better manage quality of life issues associated with spinal cord injury, such as chronic pain, bladder, bowel, pressure ulcers, sexual dysfunction, and increased susceptibility to respiratory problems. Even modest improvements in functional ability and reduced secondary complications can make huge quality of life differences for many people with SCI.

More Information
To find resources by province, visit our Resources for Newly Injured Persons section. The inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement by the Rick Hansen Institute of that website or the information and services provided. Many more international resources can be found using any search engine.

To learn more about SCI, visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.

The Extent and Associated Costs of SCI in Canada

Spinal cord injuries have a devastating impact on the health and well-being of individuals.

Many would categorize SCI as one of the greatest survivable catastrophes experienced by a human being. The associated economic burden of SCI is substantial, due not only to direct health care costs, but also to high rates of physical morbidity and premature mortality that have an impact on productivity at a societal level.

Until recently, little information was available on the extent of spinal cord injury in Canada. Right now there is no routine reporting of people living with a spinal cord injury – within or outside a hospital – something that a number of recent studies have called for.

Two reports commissioned by the Rick Hansen Institute investigated the incidence, prevalence, and cost of SCI in Canada. The resulting findings provide baseline measurements of the extent of SCI in Canada, and its associated costs, that were previously unknown.