ABSTRACT
Acute spinal cord injury primarily affects young, otherwise healthy men (with a typical age range of 18-35 years, and a male to female ratio of 3:1). The annual incidence of acute spinal cord injury in the UK is approximately 10-15 per million population.1,2 The permanent paralysis experienced by these 800 or so patients a year leads to major disability, a shorter life expectancy and significant economic costs. Road traffic collisions (RTCs) and falls from heights account for the majority of patients (approximately 40% and 20%, respectively), but sports and leisure activities such as gymnastics, rugby, horse riding, skiing and diving into shallow water are also associated with spinal cord injury.3 Many patients with spinal injury have other life-threatening injuries, and these may take precedence over the spinal injury in the initial phases of management. However, consideration should be given to immobilization of the spine while resuscitation is in progress.
