Restorative treatment of persons with spinal cord injury: current trends.

There is little doubt that wellcoordinated and skillfully delivered emergency, medical, and surgical care helps to save lives following catastrophic injuries, such as SCI. Data show that the long-term survival rates for persons with SCI have steadily risen (1) and, for some individuals, these rates now approach normal. As a result, the prevalence of SCI in our society has increased, even as prevention efforts have probably reduced the annual incidence of this condition. But what kind of life do persons with SCI live and how is society responding to their needs?