Spinal Cord Injury (SCI): For Patients and Consumers

General Information

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers a Fact Book about SCI.
• The National Library of Medicine's MedlinePlus offers basic information on SCI and links to other resources.
• The National Spinal Cord Injury Association provides detailed information about SCI in its Introduction to SCI .
• Learn about research on SCI, rehabilitation, the history of SCI treatment, and more from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: SCI.

Organizations, Support, and Services

• American Spinal Injury Association
  The American Spinal Injury Association promotes the care of patients with SCIs and supports interaction among health care professionals and researchers studying and treating SCIs.
• Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation
  Dedicated to curing SCI, the Foundation funds innovative research and provides grants, information, and advocacy to improve quality of life for people living with paralysis.
• Defense Medical Research and Development Program
  This Pentagon program performs research and development in the areas of blast injury, rehabilitation, and psychological health and wellness.
• Department of Defense SCI Research Program
  This program focuses on finding and funding research on SCI.
• National Rehabilitation Information Center
  A data repository of the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, this center provides an online gateway to information on disability and rehabilitation.
• National Spinal Cord Injury Association
  The mission of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association is to improve the quality of life of all people living with SCI or related disorders, including information about emotional and physical adjustment after SCI, reproductive health, and gait training.
• Paralyzed Veterans of America
  This nonprofit organization is dedicated to serving veterans of the U.S. armed services, supporting medical research, and guaranteeing civil rights for all people with disabilities.
• Quality Enhancement Research Initiative
  A project of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Quality Enhancement Research Initiative concentrates on promoting improvement in SCI areas of respiratory health, pressure ulcers, obesity, pain, depression, and physical function and mobility.
• Shriners Hospitals for Children
  The Shriners Hospitals for Children system provides care and treatment for SCI at its many locations around the United States. In addition, certain locations specialize in care and treatment of pediatric SCI, including Shriners Hospital for Children — Philadelphia and Shriners Hospital for Children — Chicago .
• Spinal Cord Outcomes Partnership Endeavor (SCOPE)
  SCOPE seeks to enhance the development of clinical trial and clinical practice protocols for accurately validating therapeutic interventions for SCIs.
• The U.S. Department of Education offers these resources on SCI:
  • Clearinghouse on Disability Information of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services shares information about SCI research, breakthroughs, and issues.
  • The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research is one of three entities within the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. The Institute supports an SCI Model Systems Program as well as model systems for brain injury and burns.

Please note: Links to organizations and information included on this page do not indicate endorsement from the NICHD, NIH, or HHS.