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abstract

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating event that may affect every aspect of an individual’s life. There are approximately 10,000 new traumatic SCIs each year, a figure that has been relatively stable over the past 20 years, with an estimated 200,000 people living with SCI in the United States. Patients with SCI utilize a tremendous amount of health care resources. The direct costs alone are estimated at $10 billion. When one considers that the average age at the time of injury is 37.7 years, one can only imagine the magnitude of the indirect costs associated with lost income potential. The psychological impact on patients and their families is even more difficult to measure.

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© 2006 Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ

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Brooks, M., Kirshblum, S. (2006). Spinal Cord Injury. In: Cooper, G. (eds) Essential Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-100-0_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-100-0_3

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press

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