How long do people stay in rehabilitation?

Author: SCIRE Community Team | Reviewer: Shannon Sproule | Published: 25 September 2017 | Updated: ~

How long you stay in rehabilitation depends on many factors, such as the characteristics of your injury (whether it is

complete

or

incomplete

and the level of injury), where you live, and whether you develop new medical problems (such as a pressure ulcer) during rehabilitation.

A cartoon calendar

In Canada, the Rick Hansen Spinal Cord Injury Registry collects and analyzes information from participating hospitals and rehabilitation centers for people with traumatic SCI. The most recent statistics from 2016 show that in Canada:

  • People with paraplegia stay in inpatient rehabilitation for an average of 72 days
  • People with tetraplegia stay in inpatient rehabilitation for an average of 83 days

However, these statistics are averages of the whole population and every person and situation is different. Speak to your health provider for more information.