How many Americans are living with Spinal Cord Injuries? 

The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation estimates that up to 400,000 Americans may be living with Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI).  However, the fact is that no definitive count currently exists, and all estimates are based on incomplete data sets and a significant amount of guesswork.  There have not been any overall incidence studies on SCI conducted in the US since the 1970's.  The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center at the University of Alabama estimates the number to be around 250,000, (with 11,000 new injuries every year) based on extrapolating the number of new SCI patients who come to one of 25 federally-funded Model SCI Care System centers. 

The Reeve Foundation is currently working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to identify better methods of collecting more reliable statistics.

The Demographics of the SCI Community

While anyone can receive a spinal cord injury, the prevalence of SCI does not affect all demographic groups equally.  Males are far more likely to receive spinal cord injuries than females, and African Americans are over-represented among the SCI community based on their share of the general population.

• 79.6% of new SCI patients are male.
•  Approximately half (48.2%) are married at the time of injury.  The likelihood of the marriage remaining intact is slightly lower after the injury when compared to the uninjured population.   
• The average age at injury is 37.6 years.

The Costs of Living With SCI 

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

• Length of initial hospitalization following injury in acute care units:  19 days
• Average stay in rehabilitation unit:      45 days
• 88.1% of all spinal cord injured individuals are discharged from hospitals to a private home, 5.3% are discharged to nursing homes.

Estimated Lifetime Costs by Age of Injury

• 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