Clinical Trials, U.S.: Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is caused by trauma to the spinal cord that results in a loss of motor control, [Page 272]sensory perception, bowel and bladder control, and numerous other voluntary or involuntary body functions. A traumatic blow to the spine can fracture or dislocate vertebrae, which may cause bone fragments or disc material to injure the nerve fibers and damage the oligodendrocyte cells that insulate the nerve fibers in the spinal cord. Most human spinal cord injuries are contusions (bruises) rather than lacerations to the cord.

Every year approximately 12,000 people in the United States sustain spinal cord injuries, and currently there are approximately 840,000 spinal cord injury patients in the United States. The odds of a traumatic spinal injury in the United States are ...