Having a spinal cord injury is a complex and heterogeneous condition.
This means no two injuries are alike. Praxis works with its global network to find the best treatments and solutions to improve the health of people with SCI.
Click the cards below to reveal more.
SCI in Canada
In Canada, of the 86,000 individuals living with spinal cord injury (SCI), it was estimated that approximately 30,000 people live with a traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI).
Although SCI affects fewer individuals when compared to other chronic conditions, the economic burden is substantial. For people with tSCI, it was estimated that approximately 1,100 people were discharged from hospital with a tSCI each year and the estimated average lifetime cost is $2 million per individual.
This includes direct costs like hospital stay and indirect costs such as lost productivity due to premature mortality.
Source: Noonan et al. (2012); Cassidy et al. (2010) RHSCIR report 2022
Secondary Complications
Many of the secondary complications of SCI are shared with other chronic health conditions, such as MS, ALS, stroke and diabetes. Despite being costly to manage and an ongoing concern to millions of Canadians, most secondary complications of SCI have outdated and, in many cases, ineffective solutions that greatly limit the quality of life for many Canadians.
Accessibility & Employment
Source: Praxis Spinal Cord Institute. – PMC Article [2021]
Health Impact
People with SCI often experience long-term secondary health conditions such as chronic pain, pressure ulcers, respiratory issues, and depression, greatly impacting quality of life.
- An aging population is leading to a rise in non-traumatic SCIs.
- Improved survival rates are shifting care needs toward long-term health management and rehabilitation.
Source:
Annual Burden
The annual economic burden of traumatic SCI in Canada is approximately CAD 2.67 billion—with $1.57 billion in direct healthcare costs and $1.10 billion in indirect costs.
In B.C., projected lifetime costs per person range from $1.6 to $3 million, with an annual economic burden of about $1.1 billion.
Source: The government of Canada website, Chronic Diseases and Injuries in Canada.
Incidence
4,300 Canadians sustain a new spinal cord injury
Causes of Injury
Traumatic SCI (e.g., accidents, falls):
- Falls: 42%
- Transport incidents: 27%
- Sports: 18%
- Other: 13%
- Assault: 3%
Non-traumatic SCI:
Often caused by degenerative disease, infections, or tumors.
Source: Krueger et al. (2013); Thorogood et al. (2023)