Paradigm Outcomes has 25 years of clinical experience and results for injured workers with Spinal Cord Injury. Our systematic approach includes well-established, comprehensive and regular systems of review with monitoring, education, timely interventions and effective communication.

Spinal Cord Injury Awareness month begins Friday. These key statistics are from the National Spinal Cord Injury Database, a prospective longitudinal multicenter study on demographics and the use of services by people with spinal cord injury in the United States.

Leading causes
Vehicle crashes are currently the leading cause of spinal cord injury, followed by falls, acts of violence (primarily gunshot wounds), and sports/recreation activities.

Neurological level and extent of lesion
Incomplete tetraplegia is currently the most frequent neurological category followed by incomplete paraplegia, complete paraplegia, and complete tetraplegia.

Lengths of stay
Lengths of stay in the hospital acute care unit have declined from 24 days in the 1970s to 11 days currently. Rehabilitation lengths of stay have also declined from 98 days in the 1970s to 35 days currently.

Occupational status
At one year after injury, about 13% of people with SCI are employed. About one third is employed by 20 years post-injury.

Life expectancy
The average remaining years of life for people with SCI have not improved since the 1980s and remain significantly below life expectancies of persons without SCI. Mortality rates are significantly higher during the first year after injury than during subsequent years, particularly for persons with the most severe neurological impairments.

For more data, see NSCISC’s Spinal Cord Injury Facts and Figures at a Glance.

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