A spinal cord injury (SCI) not only causes paralysis, but also has long-term impact on physical and mental health. There are between 236,000 to 327,000 individuals living with the consequences of SCI in the United States, and the economic burden on the individuals sustaining the injury, their support network, and society as a whole is significant. The consequences of SCI require that health care professionals begin thinking about primary prevention. Efforts are often focused on care and cure, but evidence-based prevention should have a greater role. Primary prevention efforts can offer significant cost benefits, and efforts to change behavior and improve safety can and should be emphasized. Primary prevention can be applied to various etiologies of injury, including motor vehicle crashes, sports injuries, and firearm misuse, with a clear goal of eliminating unnecessary injury and its life-changing impact.

epidemiology, prevention, spinal cord injuries
National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center. 2012. Spinal cord injury: facts and figures at a glance. https://www.nscisc.uab.edu/PublicDocuments/fact_figures_docs/Facts%20 2012%20Feb%20Final.pdf. Accessed July 17, 2012. www.nscisc.uab.edu/PublicDocuments/fact_figures_docs/Facts%20 2012%20Feb%20Final.pdf
World Health Organization. 2002. Towards a common language for functioning, disability and health. http://www.who.int/classifications/icf/training/icfbeginnersguide.pdf. Accessed October 3, 2012. http://www.who.int/classifications/icf/training/icfbeginnersguide.pdf
The Hill Foundation. 2011. Spinal cord injury and marriage. http://www.facingdisability.com/blog/?p=263. Accessed July 17, 2012. http://www.facingdisability.com/blog/?p=263
Fann J, Bombardier C, Richards J, Tate D, Wilson C, Temkin N. Depression after spinal cord injury: comorbidities, mental health service use and adequacy of treatment. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2011;92(3):352–360.
,
Depression after spinal cord injury: comorbidities, mental health service use and adequacy of treatment
,
Arch Phys Med Rehabil.
, vol.
92
(pg.
352
-
360
)
Wikipedia. Preventive medicine. 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preventive_medicine. Accessed July 17, 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preventive_medicine
Cripps RA, Lee BB, Wing P, Weerts E, Mackay J, Brown D. A global map for traumatic spinal cord epidemiology: towards a living data repository for injury prevention. Spinal Cord. 2011; 49: 5493–501.
,
A global map for traumatic spinal cord epidemiology: towards a living data repository for injury prevention
,
Spinal Cord.
, vol.
49
(pg.
5493
-
501
)
Faust H, Menzel P. Prevention vs. Treatment: What’s the RightBalance?NewYork: Oxford University Press; 2012.
,
Prevention vs. Treatment: What’s the RightBalance?
Tator C. Current primary to tertiary prevention of spinal cord injury. Top Spinal Cord Inj Rehabil. 2004;10(1):1–14.
,
Current primary to tertiary prevention of spinal cord injury
,
Top Spinal Cord Inj Rehabil.
, vol.
10
(pg.
1
-
14
)
California Public Health Association-North. 2012. The conversation on prevention. http://cphan.org/the-conversation-on-prevention/. Accessed July 30, 2012. http://cphan.org/the-conversation-on-prevention/
Herndon Alliance. Community prevention and the public. http://healthyamericans.org/assets/files/CommunityPreventionandthePublic.pdf. Accessed August 23, 2012 http://healthyamericans.org/assets/files/CommunityPreventionandthePublic.pdf
The Prevention Institute. Prevention for a healthier America: investments in disease prevention yield significant savings, stronger communities. http://preventioninstitute.org/component/jlibrary/article/id-75/127.html. Accessed August 23, 2012. http://preventioninstitute.org/component/jlibrary/article/id-75/127.html
Freedman B. The case for medical care, inefficient or not. Hastings Center Report. 1977; 7(2): 31–39.
,
The case for medical care, inefficient or not
,
Hastings Center Report.
, vol.
7
(pg.
31
-
39
)
Healthtwine. Prevention vs. treatment. http://www.healthtwine.org/original/health/2009/01/29/prevention-vs-treatment/. Accessed July 17, 2012. http://www.healthtwine.org/original/health/2009/01/29/prevention-vs-treatment/
The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. Costs of living with a spinal cord injury. 2011. http://www.christopherreeve.org/site/c.mtKZKgMWKwG/b.5193227/k.AFB/Costs_of_Living_with_Spinal_Cord_Injury.htm. Accessed July 17, 2012. http://www.christopherreeve.org/site/c.mtKZKgMWKwG/b.5193227/k.AFB/Costs_of_Living_with_Spinal_Cord_Injury.htm
American Trauma Society. http://www.amtrauma.org/. Accessed July 17, 2012. http://www.amtrauma.org/.
Shriners Hospitals for Children. Spinal cord injury prevention begins with awareness. 2012. http://www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/Education/SCIAwareness/SCIPreventionSafetyTips.aspx. Accessed June 26, 2012. http://www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/Education/SCIAwareness/SCIPreventionSafetyTips.aspx.
Academy of Pediatrics. 2012. http://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/on-the-go/Pages/Car-Safety-Seats-Information-for-Families.aspx?nfstatus=401&nftoken=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000&nfstatusdescrip tion=ERROR%3a+No+local+token. Accessed August 23, 2012. http://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/on-the-go/Pages/Car-Safety-Seats-Information-for-Families.aspx?nfstatus=401&nftoken=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000&nfstatusdescrip tion=ERROR%3a+No+local+token
National Safety Council White Sheet. Understanding the distracted brain: Why driving while using hands-free cell phones is risky behavior. March 2010. http://distracteddriving.nsc.org. Accessed October 3, 2012. http://distracteddriving.nsc.org
Bellinger DB, Budde BM, Machida M, Richardson GB, Berg WP. The effect of cellular telephone conversation and music listening on response time in braking. Transportation Res Part F: Traffic Psychol Behav. 2009;12(6):441–451.
,
The effect of cellular telephone conversation and music listening on response time in braking
,
Transportation Res Part F: Traffic Psychol Behav.
, vol.
12
(pg.
441
-
451
)
Redelmeier DA, Tibshirani RJ. Association between cellular-telephone calls and motor vehicle collisions. New Engl J Med. 1997;336(7):453–458.
,
Association between cellular-telephone calls and motor vehicle collisions
,
New Engl J Med.
, vol.
336
(pg.
453
-
458
)
McEvoy SP, Stevenson MR, McCartt AT, et al. Role of mobile phones in motor vehicle crashes resulting in hospital attendance: a case-crossover study. Br Med J. 2005;331(7514):428.
,
Role of mobile phones in motor vehicle crashes resulting in hospital attendance: a case-crossover study
,
Br Med J.
, vol.
331
National Highway Safety Traffic Administration. Impaired driving. http://www.nhtsa.gov/Impaired. Accessed July 17, 2012. http://www.nhtsa.gov/Impaired.
American Trauma Society. Trauma facts. http://www.amtrauma.org/injury-prevention-programs/trauma-facts/index.aspx. Accessed July 17, 2012. http://www.amtrauma.org/injury-prevention-programs/trauma-facts/index.aspx.
American Association of Neurological Surgeons. Spinal cord injury prevention tips. 2008. http://www.aans.org/Patient%20Information/~/media/Files/Patient%20Information/Patient%20Safety%20Tips/spinal_cord_injury_prevention.ashx. Accessed July 17, 2012. http://www.aans.org/Patient%20Information/~/media/Files/Patient%20Information/Patient%20Safety%20Tips/spinal_cord_injury_prevention.ashx.
DeVivo M, Sekar P. Prevention of spinal cord injuries that occur in swimming pools. Spinal Cord. 1997;35:509–515.
,
Prevention of spinal cord injuries that occur in swimming pools
,
Spinal Cord.
, vol.
35
(pg.
509
-
515
)
U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission. CPSC issues new safety standard for bike helmets. February 1999. http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml98/98062.html. Accessed July 17, 2012. http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml98/98062.html
Foundation for Spinal Cord Injury Prevention, Care and Cure. Preventing spinal cord injury. www.fscip.org/prevention.htm. Accessed June 27, 2012. 28. Thompson N, McClintock H. Demonstrating Your Program’s Worth: A Primer on Evaluation for Programs to Prevent Unintentional Injury. Atlanta, GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control; 2000. www.fscip.org/prevention.htm
Wright M, Rivara FP, Ferse D. Evaluation of the Think First head and spinal cord injury prevention program. Inj Prev.1995;1:81–85.
,
Evaluation of the Think First head and spinal cord injury prevention program
,
Inj Prev.
, vol.
1
(pg.
81
-
85
)
Cook DJ, Cusmiano MD, Tator CH, Chipman ML. Evaluation of the ThinkFirst Canada, Smart Hockey, brain and spinal cord injury prevention video. Inj Prev. 2003;9:361–366.
,
Evaluation of the ThinkFirst Canada, Smart Hockey, brain and spinal cord injury prevention video
,
Inj Prev.
, vol.
9
(pg.
361
-
366
)
This content is only available as a PDF.