The Facts

• Each year over 1000 people in the UK are paralysed following a spinal cord injury. Around 100 of them are cared for at The Duke of Cornwall Spinal Treatment Centre in Salisbury.
• Spinal cord injury is caused by damage to the spinal cord resulting in paralysis, which can be total or partial. There is presently no cure for spinal cord injury and for the majority paralysis is permanent.
• Many of the patients treated at The Duke of Cornwall Spinal Treatment Centre have limited use of their arms and little or no use of their hands, while patients with the highest level of injury cannot breather independently and rely on a ventilator.