Facts & Figures at A Glance

This is a publication of the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, Birmingham, Alabama.

Incidence: It is estimated that the annual incidence of spinal cord injury (SCI), not including those who die at the scene of the accident, is approximately 40 cases per million population in the U. S. or approximately 12,000 new cases each year. Since there have not been any overall incidence studies of SCI in the U.S. since the 1970's it is not known if incidence has changed in recent years.

Prevalence: The number of people in the United States who are alive in 2007 who have SCI has been estimated to be approximately 255,702 persons, with a range of 227,080 to 300,938 persons. Note: Incidence and prevalence statistics are estimates obtained from several studies. These statistics are not derived from the National SCI Database.

The National Spinal Cord Injury Database has been in existence since 1973 and captures data from an estimated 13% of new SCI cases in the U.S. Since its inception, 26 federally funded Model SCI Care Systems have contributed data to the National SCI Database. As of October 2007 the database contained information on 25,415 persons who sustained traumatic spinal cord injuries. All the remaining statistics on this sheet are derived from this database or from collaborative studies conducted by the Model Systems. Detailed discussions of all topics on this sheet may be found in special issues of the journal Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation published in November 1999 and November 2004.

Age at injury: SCI primarily affects young adults. From 1973 to 1979, the average age at injury was 28.7 years, and most injuries occurred between the ages of 16 and 30. However, as the median age of the general population of the United States has increased by approximately 8 years since the mid-1970’s, the average age at injury has also steadily increased over time. Since 2005, the average age at injury is 39.5 years. Moreover, the percentage of persons older than 60 years of age at injury has increased from 4.7% prior to 1980 to 11.5% among injuries occurring since 2000. Other possible reasons for the observed trend toward older age at injury might include changes in either referral patterns to model systems, the locations of model systems, survival rates of older persons at the scene of the accident, or age-specific incidence rates.

Gender: Since 2000, 77.8% of spinal cord injuries reported to the national database have occurred among males. Over the history of the database, there has been a slight trend toward a decreasing percentage of males. Prior to 1980, 81.8% of new spinal cord injuries occurred among males.

Ethnic groups: A significant trend over time has been observed in the racial distribution of persons in the database. Among persons injured between 1973 and 1979, 76.8% were Caucasian, 14.2% were African American, 6% were Hispanic, and 3% were from other racial/ethnic groups. However, among those injured since 2000, 63.0% are Caucasian, 22.7% are African American, 11.8% are Hispanic, and 2.4% are from other racial/ethnic groups. It is unknown whether changing locations of model systems, referral patterns to model systems, or race-specific incidence rates may be responsible for this trend.

Etiology: Since 2005, motor vehicle crashes account for 42% of reported SCI cases. The next most common cause of SCI is falls, followed by acts of violence (primarily gunshot wounds), and recreational sporting activities. The proportion of injuries that are due to sports has decreased over time while the proportion of injuries due to falls has increased. Acts of violence caused 13.3% of spinal cord injuries prior to 1980, and peaked between 1990 and 1999 at 24.8% before declining to only 15.3% since 2005.

The National SCI Statistical Center
1717 6th Avenue South, Room 515, Birmingham, AL 35233-7330
Voice: (205) 934-3320; TDD: (205) 934-4642; FAX: (205) 934-2709
E-mail: NSCISC@uab.edu