A Clinical Perspective and Definition of Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) can be complete or incomplete. The level of injury in SCI is defined as the most caudal segment with motor function rated at greater than or equal to 3/5, with pain and temperature preserved. The standard neurological classification of SCI provided by the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) assigns grades from ASIA A (complete SCI) through ASIA E (normal sensory/motor), with B, C, and D representing varying degrees of injury between these extremes. The most common causes of SCI include trauma (motor vehicle accidents, sports, violence, falls), degenerative spinal disease, vascular injury (anterior spinal artery syndrome, epidural hematoma), tumor, infection (epidural abscess), and demyelinating processes (). (SDC Figure 1, http://links.lww.com/BRS/B91)(Figure is included in full-text article.).