Spinal cord injury
Also called: SCI, paraplegia, tetraplegia, quadriplegia
How spinal cord injury affects movement and sensation, and the rehabilitation, technology, and daily strategies that help people live full lives.
With rehab, adaptive tools, and support, people with spinal cord injury lead active, independent lives.
The spinal cord is the brain’s main cable to the body, carrying movement commands down and sensation back up. A spinal cord injury (SCI) interrupts some of those messages below the level of injury - but rehabilitation, technology, and problem- solving open up an enormous amount of function and independence.
Levels and completeness
Effects depend on where the cord is injured (higher injuries affect more of the body) and whether the injury is complete or incomplete (some signals still get through). Two people with the “same” injury can have very different abilities.
Start with living with spinal cord injury.
How the brain and cord connect
The brainstem links the brain to the spinal cord, and together they run movement, sensation, and many automatic functions. After SCI, the brain and remaining pathways can be trained to make the most of every signal.
The road to recovery
Rehabilitation focuses on strength, mobility, and independence with the right equipment and techniques:
- Physiotherapy for strength, movement, and mobility
- Occupational therapy for daily living and adaptive equipment
- Fall prevention at home and home set-up
Living well
Health, routine, mood, and connection matter as much as physical rehab. Staying socially connected and caregiver wellbeing support the whole journey.
Brain regions involved
Explore these in the brain education hub.
Therapies that help
Honest, cited verdicts and what to expect.
- Physiotherapy (physical therapy) How physiotherapy rebuilds movement, balance, and walking after stroke and in Parkinson's - what the strongest evidence shows, and why dose and task-specific practice matter.
- Occupational therapy How occupational therapy helps people do the everyday activities that matter - washing, dressing, cooking, work - after stroke or brain injury, and what the evidence shows.
Read about it
Plain-language guides and cited research on spinal cord injury.
Practise it
Do-it-on-the-page activities that support recovery.
Explore further
This is general education, not medical advice. Always check with a qualified clinician about your situation.