How common are spinal cord injuries?
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, close to 200,000 people in the United States live with a disability related to an SCI. Approximately 11,000 Americans are hospitalized for a SCI each year. SCIs cost almost $9.7 billion each year. Pressure sores alone, which commonly afflict people with SCI, cost almost $1.2 billion. Young, black males have the highest risk for SCI. Over half the people who sustain SCIs are 16 to 30 years old. Males are four times as likely as females to sustain a SCI. Blacks have a higher risk for SCI than whites.
