There are two main categories of spinal cord injuries: Complete and Incomplete.

Complete Spinal Cord Injuries

Complete SCIs are the most serious of spinal cord injuries. They occur when the spinal cord is injured, eliminating the brain’s ability to send signals below the injury site. For an injury impacting the lumbar spinal cord, for example, it can lead to paralysis below the waist while preserving your motor functions in your upper body and arms (paraplegia). For complete injuries in the cervical spine, however, this often leads to a loss of motor function in the lower and upper body (tetraplegia, which is also known as quadriplegia).

Incomplete Spinal Cord Injuries

Incomplete SCIs commonly result from compression or damage being inflicted to the spinal cord that reduces the brain’s ability to send signals below the injury site. Because of the partially-compromised condition of the spinal cord, incomplete injuries vary drastically from person to person. Some sensory and motor functions may be slightly compromised in some or nearly eliminated in others. Additionally, some incomplete injuries result in triplegia or the loss of sensation and movement in one arm and both legs.

Incomplete spinal cord injuries are increasingly common, thanks in part to better treatment and increased knowledge about how to respond—and how not to respond—due to improved spinal cord injury research. These injuries now account for more than 60% of spinal cord injuries, which means we're making real progress toward better treatment for SCI rehabilitation.

Some of the most common types of incomplete or partial spinal cord injuries include:

Anterior cord syndrome: This type of injury, to the front of the spinal cord, damages the motor and sensory pathways in the spinal cord. You may retain some sensation but struggle with movement.

Central cord syndrome: This injury is an injury to the center of the cord. It damages nerves that carry signals from the brain to the spinal cord. Loss of fine motor skills, paralysis of the arms, and partial impairment—usually less pronounced—in the legs are common. Some people also experience a loss of bowel or bladder control or lose the ability to sexually function.

Brown-Sequard syndrome: This variety of injuries is the product of damage to one side of the spinal cord. The injury may be more pronounced on one side of the body; for instance, movement may be impossible on the right side but can be fully retained on the left. The degree to which Brown-Sequard patients are injured greatly varies from patient to patient.

Knowing the location of your injury and whether the injury is complete can help you begin researching your prognosis and asking your doctor questions on your SCI rehabilitation.

The most common types of spinal cord injuries include:

Tetraplegia: These injuries, which are the result of damage to the cervical spinal cord, are typically the most severe, producing varying degrees of paralysis of all limbs. Sometimes known as quadriplegia, tetraplegia eliminates the ability to move below the site of the injury and may produce difficulties with bladder and bowel control, respiration, and other routine functions. The higher on the cervical spinal cord the injury is, the more severe symptoms will likely be.

Paraplegia: This occurs when sensation and movement disappear from the lower half of the body, including the legs. These injuries are caused by damage to the thoracic spinal cord. As with cervical spinal cord injuries, injuries are typically more severe when they are closer to the top vertebra.

Triplegia: Triplegia causes a loss of sensation and movement in one arm and both legs, and is typically the product of an incomplete spinal cord injury.