WHAT IS A SPINAL CORD INJURY?
Your spinal cord is the pathway through which your brain sends information to nerves throughout your body. A spinal cord that has been compromised, either by disease or injury, can lead to impairment of movement and/or sensation. For example, some patients are unable to walk or use their arms. There might also be difficulties in breathing, sexual function, or bowel and bladder control. On average, we treat about 500 spinal cord patients every year, and every patient is different. Our goal for each patient is to help them develop the skills and strategies to live life to its fullest.
Our Healthy Living with SCI Manual provides detailed information about living with a spinal cord injury. And the New England Spinal Cord Injury Toolkit (SCI Toolkit) includes guidelines, resources, and shared expertise to help prevent some of the common secondary conditions often experienced by individuals living with an SCI.
SCI Manual: Healthy Living with Spinal Cord Injury
Spinal Cord Injury Toolkit
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
A spinal cord injury can be overwhelming but there are many resources to help guide you and your loved ones in making decisions and coping with an injury. Below are some reliable resources to help you manage the many health and emotional aspects of a spinal cord injury.
MSKTC SCI Resources for COVID-19
Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation
Empower SCI.org
Facing Disability - Voices of Experience Videos
Get Moving: Exercise and SCI (video)
Online Educational Video Series (list of 37 videos) from the New England Regional Spinal Cord Injury Center (NERSCIC). Sample topics include: Staying Well after SCI, Adaptive Sports, SCI and Osteoporosis, Getting a Jump on Spasticity, Sexuality and SCI, Thriving Through and Beyond Trauma
Paralyzed Veterans of America Consumer Guides
Personal Emergency Preparedness Plan - an emergency planning checklist for those with disabilities
SCI Information Sheets - a series of Information Sheets on selected topics related to SCI from the Spinal Cord Injury Model System Information Network.
Secondary Conditions of SCI video series
Secondary Conditions in the Rehabilitation of Individuals with SCI from MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital, includes factsheets, research, web-survey information, and resources
Spinal Cord Injury Association of Connecticut, a Chapter of United Spinal
Understanding Spinal Cord Injury. This outstanding series of online videos explains the anatomy of the spinal cord and how the various levels of spinal cord injury impact a person's ability to function.