In 1990, the American Spinal Cord Injury Association (ASIA) proposed a uniform classification system that had five categories, defined in Table 1. Motor level is defined as the level at which the key muscle innervated by the segment has at least 3/5 of its normal strength. Sensory level is defined as the lowest spinal cord level that still has normal pinprick and touch sensation.

Spinal cord injury reduces or eliminates skin sensation in dermatomes below the injury site. Because people cannot feel or move, they may sit or lie for long times on certain parts of their body. Pressure impedes blood flow in the skin. Due to muscle atrophy, the normal tissue padding that cushions the butt may be reduced. Absence of sensation, loss of muscle padding, and long periods of pressure can lead to skin breakdown and development of pressure sores or decubiti.

Many misconceptions abound concerning spinal cord injury. For example, many people believe that the spinal cord below the injury site dies after injury. Others think that the injured spinal cord is like a cut telephone wire and can be fixed by reconnecting the cut ends. Some people think that the vertebral column is the spinal cord. Even doctors have misleading and inaccurate ideas about spinal cord injury.

This may seem to be silly question but, until people get spinal cord injury or know somebody who is, most pay little attention to their spinal cords. Most people don't know the different parts of the spinal cord, what each part does, and how the spinal cord transmits sensory and motor information. Many think that the spinal cord conducts information like a telephone wire and the spinal cord can be fixed by reconnecting it.

Studies suggest the incidence rate of SCI is about 40 cases per million population, excluding those who die at the scene of the accident. Given a current United States population of approximately 281.4 million persons, this means that over 11,000 new cases occur each year.

Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) is damage to the spinal cord that results in a loss of function, such as mobility or feeling. The spinal cord does not have to be severed in order for a loss of functioning to occur. In fact, most people with SCI have an intact spinal cord, but damage to it has resulted in loss of functioning.

It is not always evident that a person has a SCI, especially if it is caused by the onset of an illness or growth of a tumor. Symptoms may include weakness, poor coordination, numbness or tingling, loss of sensation, loss of bowel or bladder control, paralysis and pain. An attorney can file a lawsuit on your behalf and seek recovery for several types of damages, including for pain and suffering, lost past wages, lost future earning capacity, current and future medical expenses, among others.

Anyone who suffers a spinal cord injury as the result of the reckless or negligent actions of another party may be eligible to file a lawsuit. Whether you have sustained a spinal cord injury in a motor vehicle accident, construction accident, or as the result of a defective or unsafe product, you can bring a claim against the responsible party (or parties).

The symptoms of a spinal cord injury generally depend on two factors: the location of the injury and the severity of the injury. When a spinal cord injury occurs higher on the spinal column, the victim suffers more extensive paralysis. A victim with a "partial" spinal cord injury may retain some sensation or motor function below the affected area. "Complete" spinal cord injuries are defined by complete loss of motor function and sensation below the affected area.

At this time, no. If there is compression on the spinal cord or the spine needs to be stabilized, surgery can be performed in an attempt to correct these problems. After surgery, some function may be restored, but surgery is currently unable to restore all lost function from a spinal cord injury. Spinal cord injuries are devastating and have life-long consequences.

Overall, 85 percent of SCI patients who survive the first 24 hours following injury are alive 10 years later.

Of the 10,000-12,000 spinal cord injuries that occur in the United States every year, more than 80 percent of the injuries are suffered by young men between the ages of 16 and 30.

Depending on which segments of the spine were injured, people with spinal cord injuries face a number of other health problems because of the injury, including chronic pain, bladder and bowel dysfunction, irregular heart beats, low blood pressure, pressure sores, spasms and reproductive and sexual dysfunction. They are also at risk for heart and respiratory problems and blood clots, among other conditions.

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