World Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Day is observed on the 5th of September every year to promote preventive programs for spinal cord injuries and to facilitate an inclusive life for the debilitated and the disabled. SCI is a serious morbid condition and is disproportionately disabling to the age group of 16 to 30 years. Often, the causes for SCI are trauma (violence, sports, motor vehicle accidents), and disease or degeneration (arthritis, osteoporosis, cancer) which globally affects 2,50,000 to 5,00,000 individuals every year.
The estimated annual global incidence is 40 to 80 cases per million population. Treatment of SCI is a costly affair– the relative premature death rate is 2 to 5 times higher , especially in low- and middle-income countries. An SCI results in the disruption of neuronal axons running through the spinal cord, leading to the loss of motor and sensory functions below the…
