What are the main causes of spinal cord injuries?

Spinal cord injuries are typically caused by some form of trauma to the back from a car accident, motorcycle accident, pedestrian accident, fall or sports accident. Most spinal cord injuries are caused by car accidents or falls. The impact of a car crash can crush one or more vertebra and sever the spinal cord running through the center of the spinal column. Damage to the spinal cord can cause loss of function, even if the spinal cord is not completely severed. A spinal cord injury in which some function remains below the level of the injury is referred to an incomplete injury. Generally speaking, the higher in the spine the injury occurs, the more loss of function the individual will have. Men tend to experience more spinal cord injuries than women.