Description
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a debilitating neurological condition with tremendous socioeconomic impact on affected individuals and the health care system. According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, there are 12,500 new cases of SCI each year in North America. More than 90% of SCI cases are traumatic and caused by incidences such as traffic accidents, violence, sports, or falls. The Male-to-female ratio of 2:1 for SCI, which happens more frequently in adults compared to children. Demographically, men are mostly affected during their early and late adulthood (3rd and 8th decades of life) while women are at higher risk during their adolescence (15–19 years) and 7th decade of their lives i.e. age distribution is bimodal, with a first peak involving young adults and a second peak involving adults over the age of 60. Those over 60 years of age who suffer SCI have considerably worse outcomes than younger patients their injuries usually resulting from falls and age-related bony changes.
