Facts About Spinal Cord Injury Awareness

Many temporary and permanent changes can occur after sustaining a spinal cord injury with several warning signs such as numbness, back pain, neurologic deficits, loss of sensation, or paralysis. Most of the SCI cases have to undergo surgery for spine treatment. Here are a few essential facts to learn about spinal cord injuries.
The spinal cord is a cluster of nerves. An injury to the spine can cause severe damage to the spinal cord and disrupts the signals between the nerves and brain. After a spinal cord injury, some changes can be severe like paralysis or numbness, while others are mild such as weakness or neck pain. In 2017, more than 280,000 people in the US have suffered SCI with 17,500 new cases occurring each year. The average age a person may suffer a spinal cord injury has increased to 42. Vehicle accidents, acts of violence, falling incidents, and sports activities are a few causes of spinal cord injuries. Number of males which are reported to sustain SCI is higher as compared to females. Those with extreme spinal cord injuries have to be re hospitalized following the injury. More than $40 billion is spent annually on SCI cases.

Infographic Source: http://www.laspine.com/spinal-cord-injury-awareness/