Abstract

Approximately 10 000 new cases of spinal cord injury (SCI) occur each year in the United States while Canada records about 1000 new cases per year (Fehlings 1994). It is estimated that there are more than 200 000 chronic SCI patients at any given time in the United States. Of these individuals, 45% are quadriplegic and 55% paraplegic. Current estimates suggest that 19% of all quadriplegic patients and 28% of all paraplegics are complete injuries (ie. no sensory or motor function below the level of the lesion). As in any traumatic central nervous system (CNS) injury, the majority of individuals who suffer SCI are male (82%) and between 16 and 30 years of age (61%) (Tator et al. 1993). In the United States, motor vehicle accidents (48%), accidental falls (21%), sports injuries (14%) and gunshot wounds (15%) constitute the major causes of SCI.

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