What is spinal cord injury?

Author: SCIRE Community Team | Reviewers: Shannon Sproule , Tova Plashkes , Amrit Dhaliwal | Published: 17 February 2017 | Updated: 26 March 2024

Illustration accompanying What is spinal cord injury?

A spinal cord injury (SCI) occurs when the spinal cord or the nerves at the end of the spinal canal are damaged and causes changes to how the body works.

SCI can be a life-changing injury. It can affect many different body systems and often causes permanent changes to strength, sensation, and other functions below the injury. There are many different types of spinal cord injury and the effects of the injury can be very different from one person to the next.