*Each year an estimated 11,000 Americans sustain spinal cord injuries (SCI). (2, 8, 13, 19, 32)

*Nearly 250,000 people who have sustained spinal cord injuries are currently living in the United States (2, 8, 22)

*The majority of people who sustain spinal cord injuries are between the ages of 16 and 30, and the average age at the time of injury is between 29.7 years and 33.4 years (13, 22)

*The most frequent age at which spinal cord injuries occur is 19 years (13, 22)

*Men suffer from spinal cord injuries more frequently than women in a ratio of 4:1 (8, 13, 22)

*The most common causes of spinal cord injuries are motor vehicle accidents (35%-44%), violence (24%-30%), falls (19%-22%), sports related injuries of which diving accidents account for 2/3 of the injuries (7%-8%), work related and other accidents (2%-8%). (2, 8, 22)

Picture provided by The National Institutes of Health

*After age 45, falls account for more spinal cord injuries than motor vehicle accidents (22)

*While the overall incidence of spinal cord injuries is decreasing, the number of injuries that are results of violence are increasing (10, 22)

*47% of spinal cord injuries result in paraplegia, while 52% result in quadriplegia (2, 22)

*Between 1974 and 1994 the average initial hospital stay and rehabilitation period decreased greatly: from 122 to 53 days for paraplegics and 150 to 74 days for quadriplegics (10)

*The average life expectancy of a person with a spinal cord injury is below normal, but the average continues to rise. (10)

*The lifetime cost as a result of a spinal cord injury is around $400,000 (b) but depending on the severity of the injury and the age at which it occurred, costs can reach as high as $1,350,000 (2, 10)

*If the United States could prevent new SCIS and develop treatment for persons already injured, up to $400 billion could be saved on future costs of spinal cord injuries.