Free spinal cord injury assessment calculators
Grade a spinal cord injury with validated calculators, free. Measure impairment, independence, and hand function, get a score, and check the evidence behind each one.
How common is spinal cord injury?
About 4 in 5 people with a new spinal cord injury are male.
About 308,620 people are living with traumatic spinal cord injury in the United States, on a range of 259,374 to 393,913. Incidence runs at about 54 cases per million people, which works out at roughly 18,421 new injuries a year.1 Vehicle crashes account for 37.3 percent of recent injuries and falls for 32.0 percent, almost 70 percent between them. Acts of violence and sports injuries account for about 23 percent.1 The average age at injury has risen from 29 in the 1970s to 44 since 2015.1
- 1.National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center. Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury Facts and Figures at a Glance, 2025 SCI Data Sheet. Birmingham, AL: University of Alabama at Birmingham; 2025.
Understanding spinal cord injury
The spinal cord carries signals between the brain and the body. When it is damaged, movement and sensation below the injury can be reduced or lost. The level of the injury determines which functions are affected, and an injury can be complete or incomplete.
Nearly half of recent injuries are incomplete tetraplegia, 47.6 percent, meaning a cervical injury with some function preserved below it. Incomplete paraplegia accounts for 20.3 percent, complete paraplegia for 19.6 percent, and complete tetraplegia for 12.1 percent.1
These calculators grade the neurological level and completeness of the injury, the person’s independence in daily activities, and, for cervical injuries, arm and hand function.
Spinal cord injury assessment calculators
Each one is free. Open it to take the assessment, get a score, and see what it measures and the evidence behind it.
Spinal cord injury questions, answered
How is a spinal cord injury graded?
With the ISNCSCI exam, the international standard published by the American Spinal Injury Association. A trained examiner tests key muscles and skin points on both sides of the body, which establishes the neurological level of the injury and an ASIA Impairment Scale grade from A to E.
What is the difference between a complete and an incomplete injury?
Completeness is decided at the lowest sacral segments. A complete injury has no motor or sensory function preserved there. An incomplete injury has some function preserved below the level of the lesion. Incomplete injuries are now the majority: incomplete tetraplegia alone accounts for 47.6 percent of injuries since 2015.
Which assessment measures independence after a spinal cord injury?
The SCIM III. It scores 19 everyday tasks across self-care, respiration and sphincter management, and mobility, and totals them from 0 to 100.
Which assessment measures hand function?
The GRASSP, built for cervical injury. It measures strength, sensibility, and grasp in both upper limbs.
What causes most spinal cord injuries?
Vehicle crashes and falls, which together account for almost 70 percent of recent injuries. Acts of violence, mostly gunshot wounds, and sports injuries account for about 23 percent.
Are these calculators free?
Yes. Every calculator here is free to take. The SCIM and the GRASSP are described in full. The ISNCSCI worksheet and its scoring rules are published by the American Spinal Injury Association, so this site describes the exam and links to the owner rather than reproducing it.
Can a brain-computer interface help with spinal cord injury?
The Brain-Computer Interface Registry connects people with spinal cord injury to trials building new ways to move and communicate. Complete your assessments once, and be matched to trials as they open.
These calculators use validated instruments and are reference information, not a diagnosis.