- 82% male, 18% female
- Highest per capita rate of injury occurs between ages 16-30
- Average age at injury - 33.4
- Median age at injury - 26
- Mode (most frequent) age at injury 19
- Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of SCI (44%), followed by acts of violence (24%),falls (22%) and sports (8%), other (2%)
- 2/3 of sports injuries are from diving
- Falls overtake motor vehicles as leading cause after age 45
- Acts of violence and sports cause less injuries as age increases
- Acts of violence have overtaken falls as the second most common source of spinal cord injury
- Marital status at injury:
- Single 53%
- Married 31%
- Divorced 9%
- Other 7%
- 5 years post-injury:
- 88% of single people with SCI were still single vs. 65% of the non-SCI population
- 81% of married people with SCI were still married vs. 89% of the non-SCI population
- Employment status among persons between 16 and 59 years of age at injury:
- Employed 58.8%
- Unemployed 41.2%
(includes: students, retired, and homemakers)
- Employed 8 years post-injury:
People who return to work in the first year post-injury usually return to the same job for the same employer. People who return to work after the first year post-injury either worked for different employers or were students who found work.
