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Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury Facts & Figures

In the UK during the year 2000 there were 666 new patient admissions to a Spinal Injury Centre, as a result from a traumatic spinal cord injury in the UK and Ireland. A further 159 new patients were admitted as a result of medical conditions such as infection, bleeding or disease. The combined total of 825 new cases admitted to a Spinal Injury Centre, does not include those who were delt with by General Hospitals.

Causes of Traumatic Spinal Injury

Breakdown of Road Traffic Accident Statistics
Breakdown percentages are a proportion of overall number of Traumatic Spinal Cord Injuries

Breakdown of Fall Statistics

Breakdown of Sports Statistics

UK Population 2001

The population of the United Kingdom on Census Day 2001 was 58,789,194 it has been revealed by the Registrars General for England and Wales, for Scotland and for Northern Ireland. The populations of individual countries were: England 49,138,831 (83.6 per cent of the total population); Scotland 5,062,011 (8.6 per cent); Wales 2,903,085 (4.9 per cent); Northern Ireland 1,685,267 (2.9 per cent).

Statistics of Spinal Cord Injuries in the United States

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 11,000 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.

The number of people in the United States who are alive in December 2003 who have SCI has been estimated to be approximately 243,000 persons, with a range of 219,000 to 279,000 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, 25 federally funded Model SCI Care Systems have contributed data to the National SCI Database. As of November 2003 the database contained information on 22,599 persons who sustained traumatic spinal cord injuries..

Detailed Information from the US can be found at the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC).

General Information

Number of neurons in human spinal cord = 13,500,000
Length of human spinal cord = 45 cm (male); 43 cm (female)
Length of human vertebral column = 70 cm
Length of cat spinal cord = 34 cm
Length of rabbit spinal cord = 18 cm

Weight of human spinal cord = 35 gm
Weight of rabbit spinal cord = 4 gm
Weight of rat spinal cord (400 gm body weight) = 0.7 gm

Maximal Circumference of cervical enlargement = 38 mm
Maximal Circumference of lumbar enlargement = 35 mm

Pairs of Spinal Nerves = 31
Number of Spinal Cord segments = 318 cervical segments

12 thoracic segments
5 lumbar segments
5 sacral segments
1 coccygeal segment

Injury Links

The Matt Hampson Trust - Rugby Accident

Support : Spinal Injury Statistics