The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center has reported that there are approximately 12,500 new incidences of spinal cord injury each year. Of these, around 9% (or 1,125 cases) are related to sports. Athletes can incur spinal cord injuries in a number of ways including a jarring fall, getting hit hard from certain angles, or twisting unexpectedly during the course of play. Although a spinal cord injury can happen in any type of sport, they are most common in football, wrestling, and ice hockey. Regardless of the cause of the injury, it is important to treat it quickly and effectively.

A spinal cord injury can be very scary, even if it's relatively minor. Damage to the spinal cord can cause numbness, tingling, loss of sensation, and a range of other symptoms that are quite alarming if you don't know why they are happening. Fortunately, many people make a full recovery from minor spinal cord injuries.

Spinal cord injuries can range from relatively minor conditions such as whiplash to extreme damage that causes full or partial paralysis. For the acute injuries that can be treated, you want to recover as quickly as possible to regain range of motion, eliminate pain, and return to normal daily activity.

If you are going through spinal cord injury rehabilitation, it's helpful to know what to expect. While your body is healing, you might have limited range of motion or not be able to do some of the daily activities you are used to performing. Knowing what is on the horizon can make this time easier to handle and give you the opportunity to make your recovery process faster.