Frequently Asked Questions about Spinal Cord Injuries
Below are some the most common questions about SCI and concise, memorable answers. Where appropriate, a link will be provided to other resources if you wish to pursue further information on this topic. You can submit questions to be considered for inclusion on this page to: FAQs
What is the Spinal Cord?
The spinal cord is a vast bundle of nerves extending from the brain and travelling down the length of the body within the spinal column. The 33 individual bones that make up our spine are designed to protect the spinal cord from injury. Less than 5% of spinal injuries result in permanent damage to the spinal cord.
What is a Spinal Cord Injury (SCI)?
Injury to the spinal cord can arise from physical trauma (accidents and injuries), viral or bacterial infection, vascular insufficiency (poor blood supply), congenital abnormality (e.g. spina bifida) or cancerous disease.
How common is SCI?
Around 800 UK residents will be involved in a traumatic accident resulting in SCI every year. This is at least 2 people every day. About 300 people will develop SCI due to other causes.
What are the main causes of SCI?
At this moment, the commonest cause of traumatic SCI are Road traffic Accidents (27%). The second commonest cause is a fall (26%). Other causes of traumatic SCI include off-road moving vehicle collisions, diving into shallow water, rugby injuries, equestrian falls (horse riding) and physical assaults (violence).
What happens after SCI?
Despite what is often published in the general media, the spinal cord is rarely severed following a traumatic accident. Rather it is stretched, crushed or compressed by the traumatic forces. The injured segment of the spinal cord becomes bruised and swollen and the damaged nerves cease to function, resulting in loss of voluntary movement and conscious sensation below the level of injury. Body functions such as blood pressure and temperature control and bladder and bowel function are also affected by SCI. However, most people today will experience some partial recovery of movement and sensation from nerves that survived the initial injury.
- The increasing incidence of 'incomplete' SCI has occured in parallel with improvements in scene of accident management by paramedic and rescue service personnel and the adoption of injury reduction strategies (airbags, seatbelts etc) within national legislation.
Can we prevent SCI?
Improved personal risk management across the general UK population combined with modern methods of accident prevention have significantly reduced the incidence of SCI over the last 20 years. The proper use of seatbelts and airbags, improved swimming pool safety and programmes to prevent accidents at work and falls at home have all contributed.
- MASCIP are working to promote safety initiatives with a proven record or significant potential to prevent or reduce the impact of SCI. Our 'Preventing SCI' page contains links to a range of national and international initiatives. A new national SCI database is under development which will allow us to highlight the most common causes of SCI to accident prevention agencies such as the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) and legislative bodies such as the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) and potentially to track the impact of new preventative strategies.
What support is there for people with SCI?
If you sustain a spinal injury in an accident you will discover that paramedic ambulance and fire rescue crews are well practiced in rescuing and transporting people with potential SCI to the nearest emergency hospital. Because actual SCI happens so infrequently, your local hospital staff may have limited experience of this condition and will refer you to one of the UK's 11 specialist SCI Centres (see the 'SCI Centres' page on this website for details of the UK and Irish SCI Centre network).
Rehabilitation after SCI will take several months of therapy and learning until you are ready to be discharged from hospital. Returning to active family life, recreation, work or education can take even longer. To help people with SCI adapt to their new situation, the specialist SCI Centres rely on the Peer Support Officers of the Spinal Injuries Association (SIA) to promote a positive image of living with SCI.
What is the Spinal Injuries Association?
The Spinal Injuries Association (SIA) is the national charity for people with SCI and their families. It is run by people who are living with SCI every day. For more information:
Is there ever going to be a cure for SCI?
We all hope so, and millions of pounds are spent every year in trying to make it happen. However, the spinal cord is a very complex structure and we must be patient as the scientists learn more and more each day about how it works, how it is affected after injury, and why, at this moment in time, it cannot repair itself. For more information on research towards curing or relieving the effects of SC go to the Spinal Research website: www.spinal-research.org