ABSTRACT
The management of Spinal Cord Injuries has improved dramatically in the last 50 years, but it is only over the last 10 years or so that there has come a real belief that a cure for the paralysis is possible. Patients with spinal cord injury and their families have been very excited by the prospect of cure and some have been frustrated by the delays in achieving this goal. Clinicians have found themselves in an awkward position sandwiched between the expectations of their patients and the promises of researchers. They have seen the promise of a cure within ten years come and go, and more and more research being published with the bright hope that it will lead to a cure for spinal cord injury. In this uncertain and difficult time it is helpful to look at the clinical impact of laboratory research to try to obtain some perspective on the current situation in order that patients may be appropriately informed and encouraged.
