Once the spinal cord has been injured, the damaged nerves can no longer send messages between the brain and the body. The effects of SCI depend on the level of injury as well as the extent of damage to the nerve fibers. Generally, the body functions located above the level of injury will continue to work, while the body functions below the point of injury will be impaired; this means, the closer to the head the injury occurs, the more dysfunction a person is likely to experience. Cervical Injur...

There are two types of spinal cord injuries: complete spinal cord injuries refer to a total loss of function below the level of the injury, while incomplete spinal cord injuries are those that result in a partial loss of function. Complete Spinal Cord Injury A complete spinal cord injury means that there is no movement or sensation below the level of the injury. In a complete injury, both sides of the body are equally affected; the result is either complete paraplegia, total paralysis in t...