Spinal Cord Injury From Injury to Participation (Part 1). Understanding Spinal Cord Injury: Foundations for Clinical Reasoning - Presented by Louise Condon

Complete the learning module to earn your certificate of completion - Click Here

This foundational session builds a shared language and conceptual framework for understanding spinal cord injury (SCI). Participants will explore the epidemiology, causes, and classification of SCI, with a strong focus on how neurological injury translates to real‑world impairment and presentation.

The session introduces SCI incidence and demographics, highlighting common mechanisms of injury and emerging trends relevant to allied health practice. 
Participants will develop confidence in SCI classification, including complete vs incomplete injuries and the application of the ASIA Impairment Scale to quantify neurological function and prognosis.

A detailed overview of spinal cord anatomy and function follows, linking motor, sensory, and autonomic pathways to common impairments seen after SCI. 
Clinical presentations such as weakness, sensory loss, spasticity, autonomic dysfunction, pain, and respiratory compromise will be explored, with emphasis on how these shape early assessment and therapy priorities.

By the end of this session, participants will understand what has been injured, how it is classified, and why this matters for prognosis, goal setting, and therapy planning.

Key learning focuses:

Incidence, causes, and common mechanisms of SCI
SCI classification and ASIA Impairment Scale
Prognosis and recovery patterns
Spinal cord functions and resultant
impairments
Linking neurological injury to clinical presentation