All Medical Personnel is observing Neurosurgery Awareness Month in August. The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) recognizes this month to bring awareness to neurosurgery and how it affects our lives. In 2019, the focus is the human spine. According to AANS, as many as 450,000 people in the United States are living with a spinal cord injury (SCI). Other organizations conservatively estimate this figure to be about 250,000.
Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of SCI in the U. S. in younger individuals, while falls are the leading cause for SCI for people over 65. Acts of violence and sports/recreation activities are other common causes for these injuries. Interestingly, over half of all SCI occurs in persons age 16-30, most of whom are male (80%). Males also represent nearly all (90%) of sports-related SCIs, according to AANS. The Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates the cost of SCI to be $9.7 billion each year.
Learn more about neurosurgery and the spine at https://www.aans.org/en/Media/Neurosurgery-Awareness-Month.
