A Look at Spinal Cord Injury in Canada: Rick Hansen Spinal Cord Injury Registry (RHSCIR) – 2021 SCI Data Summary

This data summary provides brief demographic and clinical details on people who sustained a traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI) or nontraumatic spinal cord injury (ntSCI) in 2021 in Canada. The Rick Hansen Spinal Cord Injury Registry (RHSCIR) is a prospective registry of individuals with a new SCI from 18 acute and 14 rehabilitation (rehab) hospitals specializing in SCI care in Canada. With 30 participating facilities from across Canada, it includes over 10,000 participants, making it the largest registry that tracks the experiences of individuals living with SCI in Canada.

• 1
  In 2021, there were 682 tSCI and 466 ntSCI new RHSCIR participants.
• 2
  The average age at injury was 55 years old for participants with tSCI and 60 years old for participants with ntSCI.
• 3
  Five years after injury, 35% of participants remained employed and 4% became employed, whereas 37% of participants became unemployed and 24% remained unemployed