According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Association, an estimated 450,000 people in the U.S. currently live with a spinal cord injury (SCI). Each year, as many as 11,000 spinal cord injuries occur in the U.S. Most of these injuries are caused by trauma to the vertebral column.
The complexity of spinal cord injuries requires the highly specialized skills of an experienced health care team. At TIRR Memorial Hermann, we were one of the first facilities in the United States to establish a Spinal Cord Injury Center, and we are nationally recognized for our expertise in the management of all levels of spinal cord injury. We work with persons requiring a ventilator for breathing as well as those patients who are able to wean from the ventilator.
Our team is dedicated to providing expert care for patients with a spinal cord injury. We consider our mission to be accomplished when those with spinal cord injuries are able to achieve a quality of life with increased personal independence, productive functioning and a maximum state of health. As a patient, you will be evaluated by each member of our care team. This team will help develop and coordinate your treatment plan. Based on this treatment plan, you will receive combined therapy equaling three or more hours per day, for five out of seven days a week. In addition, we provide therapy services on the weekend.
Our team is made up of spinal cord injury specialists, therapists, nurses, case managers and social workers dedicated to expert care of people with a spinal cord injury.
We consider our mission to be accomplished when persons with spinal cord injuries achieve a quality of life with personal independence, productive functioning and maximum state of health.
Regardless of whether your spinal cord injury resulted from traumatic or non-traumatic means, at TIRR Memorial Hermann, the rehabilitation process remains relatively the same. We focus on providing both adaptive and neuro-recovery rehabilitation strategies to help you heal physically and emotionally.
Inpatient Rehabilitation is available for the patient needing intensive medical follow up and nursing care. The Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Program at TIRR Memorial Hermann maximizes outcomes by providing:
We also offer a robust peer support network for patients with spinal cord injuries called TIRR Peers. These former patients have also gone through the same struggles with rehabilitation and are now living their lives. They are able to connect with our current patients on a deeper emotional level to help them start a new life filled with possibilities.
Recovery from spinal cord injury does not end when you are transitioned from the inpatient program, it continues long after you return home.
The Outpatient Rehabilitation programs allow patients and their families to transition from the hospital setting to home while continuing to receive intense therapy services (physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech-language pathology). Counseling, education and individualized training also prepare families and caregivers for each patient’s transition.
TIRR provides a physician follow-up and procedural clinics for patients prior and post discharge from TIRR. These clinics include physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) follow-up clinics, spasticity management, medication management, primary care, urology clinics and procedures and gynecology clinics and procedures.
Strength Unlimited is a community-based wellness program for children and adults. The program offers advanced equipment, personal training, group fitness classes, aquatic therapy, support groups and special exercise programs for many different individuals, including those with spinal cord injuries.
Strength Unlimited goes beyond standard clinics offering only physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech-language pathology. We consider wellness a journey that never stops. Our fitness trainers serve as wellness coaches for individuals with disabilities. They have specialty certifications and training to offer a holistic approach and connect patients with the right resources if needed. The program is open to the community, offering patients continued help in achieving their mobility goals and the opportunity to stay active in hobbies and sports.
As a community advisor at TIRR Memorial Hermann, Linda, shares her experiences and how research helps to advance clinical care and outcomes for patients with spinal cord injuries.
According to the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC), SCI costs the nation an estimated $9.7 billion each year. Pressure sores, areas of damaged skin caused by remaining in the same position for too long, are a common secondary condition among people with SCI – total costs for treating this condition alone run an estimated $1.2 billion.
At TIRR Memorial Hermann, we treat over 300 spinal cord injury patients a year at our in-patient facilities, as well as a significant outpatient population receiving ongoing therapy. Our patients benefit from and prefer TIRR for their primary care because of our experience with handling patients who are differently abled, and because we get to know them as people, not just patients.
TIRR Memorial Hermann is recognized among the leading rehabilitation hospitals in the country. U.S. News & World Report has named us among “Americas Best Hospitals” annually since the survey began in 1990. Our reputation is based on more than 50 years of experience in rehabilitation and research, the high caliber of our affiliated physicians and clinical staff, and our comprehensive programs and services.
What makes us truly stand out from other rehabilitation centers both nationally and internationally is our focus on community reentry. We believe that in order for patients to learn to live with their SCI diagnoses, our treatments must extend beyond the confines of our clinic. That is why we schedule regular outings into the community, as well as adaptive recreational opportunities such as hunting and playing sports. This allows our patients to get a realistic feel for what it is like to live their lives after spinal cord injury.
Our SCI program is a comprehensive rehabilitation program with one of the highest case mix indexes in the country. This means we care for some of the most medically complex patients in the US. We also have a high rate of success with respect to returning patients to their local communities. In 2017, the average length of stay (LOS) for spinal cord injury patients was only 29 days. Additionally, 76% of our patients were able to return home or to a place in the community.
October 10, 2023
Angel spent several months in the children’s hospital in Austin recovering from the accident. During that time, his parents researched rehabilitation hospitals and learned about Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation at TIRR Memorial Hermann.
February 21, 2023
Robert spent a total of nine months at TIRR Memorial Hermann and had physical and occupational therapy every day. In addition, TIRR Memorial Hermann provided Robert with an opportunity for education, and he later returned there as an employee.
September 13, 2022
“I began rehabilitation thinking I would not be able to do anything again, but that wasn’t true,” said Justin. “It’s about learning how to work through your limitations and find other ways to accomplish your goals.”
October 19, 2021
Linda says she found a new passion when she began participating in research at TIRR Memorial Hermann – she understands how these studies are beneficial for patients.
September 9, 2021
When Abbi first arrived at TIRR Memorial Hermann, she had mild weakness in her legs, patchy sensation in her legs, painful numbness and tingling in her legs, and difficulty with maintaining her blood pressure when sitting and standing because of her spinal cord injury from her tumor.
September 9, 2021
Myford Collins set numerous track and field records in junior high and high school and was a Texas All-Star, an All-American and an Amateur Athletic Union Junior Olympics champion headed for the Olympics. Then, as an 18-year-old freshman in Irving, Texas, his life changed when a drunk driver ran ...
September 18, 2020
A spinal cord injury that started as a tingling sensation in his fingers quickly developed into numbness and immobility in his legs. After diagnosis and rehabilitation with Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Hospital - Katy, Anthony has returned home and is walking again.
August 22, 2016
At the end of a family vacation in Snowmass, Colorado, 17-year-old Clay “Tato” Stanley was seriously injured in a snowboarding accident. “They were doing jumps, and Tato lost control on the landing and was immediately paralyzed,” Tato’s mother, Alice Stanley says. Ta...
August 31, 2015
As a child, Jason Roy wanted to be a baseball player or a police officer. He initially gravitated towards sports, but then shifted gears and joined the Houston Police Department as an officer. Roy, by then a five-year veteran of the department, flipped his squad car several times during a high-sp...
August 31, 2015
Eighteen-year-old Daquan Minor, who suffered a fractured skull and a T-6 incomplete spinal cord injury in an auto accident in February 2013. Two years later, he was a key contributor to the 2015 TIRR Memorial Hermann junior Hotwheels win of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association’s Nationa...
October 24, 2014
When 20-year-old Braxton Taylor arrived at TIRR Memorial Hermann in August 2013, he was unable to walk, transfer, eat or manage other activities of daily living without total assistance. When he was discharged on Halloween, he could walk with assistance and was independent in most aspects of dail...
October 22, 2014
Wes Brown was hauling a load of saltwater from an oilfield in East Texas to a nearby disposal site when the tires on the rear axle of his 18-wheeler hit a pothole and bounced onto the shoulder of the road. As he tried to center his trailer, the steer tire on the passenger side hit another pothole...
June 12, 2014
Meena Dhanjal Outlaw was injured on January 23, 2000, after she stepped onto the balcony of her newly built home and was locked out of her house. Concerned about the safety of her 3-week-old son, Miles, and 3-year-old daughter, Jasmine, she attempted to climb down from the balcony. She ended up f...
June 11, 2014
Saleh Alzahrani was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 12. He underwent a successful surgery to remove a brain stem tumor and then went back to his daily life. At the age of 25, Alzahrani learned that his cancer had returned and another operation was required to remove a tumor, which was located...
April 12, 2013
Rodney Janczak took his first helicopter ride on July 3, 1987, when he was nine years old. Following an automobile accident in a suburban area of northwest Houston, he was flown by Memorial Hermann Life Flight to the Red Duke Trauma Institute at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, formerly kno...
March 25, 2013
In June 2012, Dan Hammers marked the 20th anniversary of an accident that changed his life. At the age of 19, he dove off a 10-foot building into a pool containing 4 feet of water. Hammers, who is a C4 quadriplegic, considers himself better off for the experience. In 2009, after seven years of ma...
December 23, 2012
When Buffalo Bills’ football player Kevin Everett arrived at TIRR Memorial Hermann in September 2007 after suffering spinal cord injury on the field, he was paralyzed from the neck down. After months of aggressive therapy led by a group of physicians, physical therapists and occupational th...
December 23, 2012
Eleven-year-old Lexie Bolds was having fun visiting a friend in Jasper, Texas, when she was involved in an accident that left her with a broken neck and arm. She injured vertebrae C2-C4 and injured her spinal cord at C4. Rushed to Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center by Life Flight® helicopt...
This manual was written for you, your family and your friends to explain the philosophy behind our Spinal Cord Injury Program and the continuum of care we provide for people with spinal cord injuries – from your first few days with us until your discharge from inpatient care.
Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Patient Manual
The information presented in this document is educational and not intended as medical advice or the practice of medicine. Specific aspects of your outcomes and care should be addressed and answered after consultation with your physician.
We offer a listing of online resources for you and your loved ones.
Spinal Cord Injury Educational Resources
Download the complete TIRR Memorial Hermann Spinal Cord Injury Patient Statistics fact sheet in English or Spanish.
To make a referral or to schedule an appointment, please call 1 (800) 44-REHAB (73422), (713) 797-5942, fax (713) 797-5988 or fill out our online forms by clicking the buttons below.
If you have questions or are looking for more information, please complete the form below and we will contact you.
For the 34th consecutive year, TIRR Memorial Hermann is recognized as the best rehabilitation hospital in Texas and No. 4 in the nation according to U.S. News and World Report's "Best Rehabilitation Hospitals" in America.
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