Nerves branch off from the spinal cord between each of the bones of the spine. Spinal cord trauma occurs when that protection is damaged. There are probable many injuries that cause death. Of these 10,000 injuries, half result in paraplegia and half in quadriplegia. The most common age at the time of injury is 19 years old.
Sports produce a special set of risk statistics.
Two-thirds of spinal injuries during sports are diving accidents. Ninety-two percent of sports injuries result in quadriplegia. Alcohol in the bloodstream worsens spinal cord injuries. This is because bleeding can cause the alcohol to come into contact with spinal cord tissue. A number of actions can help prevent spinal cord injury.