SPINAL CORD INJURY
Spinal Injuries Association Leads THE WAY FOR SUPPORT FOR SCI PEOPLE Spinal Injuries Association (SIA) is the expert voice and leading source of support and information for people with spinal cord injury (SCI). For more than 45 years, we have helped spinal cord injured people throughout the UK lead fulfilled lives and represent the wider SCI community at government and national level.
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rom the moment of injury and throughout life beyond, the SCI community wants expert advice and support, and we are here to show that no one need be alone. We are also incredibly proud to be a user-led Sophie Davis organisation that reflects the views of our 13,300 members.
NEW ESTIMATES REVEALED Recent estimates show that the number of people paralysed by spinal cord injury is much higher than previously thought and because of this, SIA is calling on all government departments to ensure every injured person has the care and support they need and deserve to lead a fulfilled and independent life. There are about 50,000 people with a spinal cord injury in the UK and some 2,500 are injured or diagnosed each year – one person every three-and-a-half hours. Previously it was widely believed, including by the NHS itself, that only 1,000 people were injured or diagnosed each year and that the total number of people living with a spinal cord injury was 40,000. Nik Hartley OBE, the Chief Executive of Spinal Injuries Association, said: “The revelation that there are hundreds more people across the UK that will sustain a spinal cord injury every year is stark. However, it is not just the increased numbers; it is the decreasing provision of specialist services alongside this, that is truly shocking. The NHS and wider government must dramatically increase vital and extremely specialist health care and support to the 2,500 people each year who have to come to terms with a life of paralysis as a result of spinal cord injury. We will not stop fighting until that change in investment happens.”
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WHAT IS SPINAL CORD INJURY? The spinal cord can be damaged through accident and injury or because of a health condition that is either diagnosed at birth or later developed, such as a tumour or cauda equina syndrome. Just over half of all new cases are because of injury, while the rest are due to infections or tumours of the spine. For many, this is a life-changing and permanent disability that causes paralysis and loss of sensation below the level of injury. This can mean being unable to walk or losing control of bladder and bowel function. Those with a high-level injury may also have limited or no hand and arm function or be reliant on a ventilator to breathe. Some people may retain the ability to walk, but they may experience other complications. However acquired, spinal cord injury can be devastating. SCI people and their family and friends will also have to come to terms with the psychological impact of a life-changing disability that affects every aspect of their own lives and the lives of those closest to them. Alongside others with disabilities, SCI people also face inequality and adversity. Poor accessibility to buildings and transport, employment discrimination, poor care packages and an
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