ABSTRACT
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is defi ned as damage or trauma to the spinal cord that results in an interruption of the nerve signals from the brain to parts of the body below the injury (WHO 1996 ). SCI occurs when suffi cient force causes the cord to be compressed, lacerated or stretched and may also be associated with a fracture or fracture-dislocation of the vertebral column and displacement of the intervertebral discs (Webster and Kennedy 2007 ). Individuals with SCI may have paraplegia or quadriplegia, which is also known as tetraplegia.
