Spinal Cord Injury

The Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) topic includes research on the causes, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of acquired injuries to the spinal cord.

SCIs can result from direct injury to the spinal cord itself or from damage to the surrounding tissues and bones (vertebrae). There are two types of SCI: incomplete and complete. In incomplete SCIs, some nerve communication from the brain is intact, and the spinal cord is still able to send some messages to or from the brain. People with incomplete SCI retain some feeling, function, and muscle control below the site of their injury. In complete SCIs, there is no nerve communication below the injury. People with a complete SCI lose all muscle control, feeling, or function below the injury.