Facts & Figures of SCI
Here is some information about spinal cord injuries to help you better understand paralysis and how people with paralysis can be affected by it.
What is a spinal cord injury?
Spinal cord injuries commonly lead to paralysis; they involve damage to the nerves within the bony protection of the spinal canal. The most common cause of spinal cord dysfunction is trauma (including motor vehicle accidents, falls, shallow diving, acts of violence, and sports injuries). Damage can also occur from various diseases acquired at birth or later in life, from tumors, electric shock, and loss of oxygen related to surgical or underwater mishaps.
The spinal cord does not have to be severed in order for a loss of function to occur. The spinal cord can be bruised, stretched, or crushed. Since the spinal cord coordinates body movement and sensation, an injured spinal cord loses the ability to send and receive messages from the brain to the body’s system that controls sensory, motor, and autonomic function.
What would some of the secondary conditions be?
Facts & Figures
- According to a study initiated by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, there are nearly 1 in 50 people living with paralysis — approximately 6 million people. That’s the same number of people as the combined populations of Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. And that number is nearly 33% higher than previous estimates showed.
- Average yearly expenses can range from $228,566 to $775,567 in the first year.
- Estimated lifetime costs due to spinal cord injury can range from $681,843 to over $3 million for a 25 year old.
- 87.9% of all spinal cord injured individuals are discharged from hospitals to private homes.
The Costs of Living with SCI
According to The University of Alabama National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the costs of living with SCI can be considerable, and vary greatly due to the severity of injury. 42.6% of spinal cord injured individuals are considered paraplegic (losses of movement and sensation in the lower body) and 56.4% quadriplegic (losses of movement and sensation in both the arms and legs).
Average Yearly Expenses
| Severity of Injury | First Year | Each Subsequent Year |
| High quadriplegia (C1-C4) | $775,567 | $138,923 |
| Low quadriplegia (C5-C8) | $500,829 | $56.905 |
| Paraplegia | $283,388 | $28,837 |
| Incomplete motor function at any level | $228,566 | $16,018 |
15 days: length of initial hospitalization following injury in acute care units.
36 days: average stay in rehabilitation unit.
87.9: percentage of all spinal cord injured individuals discharged from hospitals to private homes.
5.6: percentage who are discharged to nursing homes.
Estimated Lifetime Costs by Age of Injury
| Severity of Injury | 25 Years Old | 50 Years Old |
| High quadriplegia (C1-C4) | $3,059,184 | $1,800,958 |
| Low quadriplegia (C5-C8) | $1,729,754 | $1,095,411 |
| Paraplegia | $1,022,138 | $697,163 |
| Incomplete motor function at any level | $681,843 | $494,145 |
By developing therapies for those who are already spinal cord injured and preventing new injuries, the United States would save as much as $400 billion on future direct and indirect lifetime costs.
Source: The University of Alabama National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention