Spinal Cord Injury

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Program, Services & Patients

You want to recover what’s most important in your life — be it mobility, independence or walking again. Together we reach for those goals.

spinal cord injury patient on AbilityLab stairs

SCI Recovery Program

See what sets us apart from other rehabilitation hospitals and why our outcomes for spinal cord injury patients are exceptional.

spinal cord injury patient at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab

SCI Specialty Services

Our wide array of services, many available only here at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, will help you and your family navigate your recovery.

Brad the Bullet Baker riding a hand cycle on a beach in chicago

Brad's Story: Back on the Bike

Brad Baker is a leading flat track racer. On July 22, he sustained a SCI at Minneapolis X Games. His recovery at AbilityLab has brought him back to the bike.

SCI Patient Stories & News

How We Heal

Our integrated team of physicians, nurses, therapists, researchers and case managers understand the most complex injuries. They create programs for each patient – tailored to your individual goals. Therapy may take place in one or several ability labs.

Innovations in neuroscience have led to outcomes once impossible for spinal cord injury patients.

Allison Kessler, MD, MSc Section Chief, Renée Crown Center for Spinal Cord Innovation

Science-Driven Care

With hundreds of clinical studies under way — several specifically dedicated to improving recovery from damage to the vertebrae and spinal cord — we offer you access to the world’s most advanced research, which can directly impact your recovery.

We incorporate robotics autonomy and intelligence into assistive machines to support people with motor impairments.

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Clinical Trials and Research Studies

A Multi-Center Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Intermittent Hypoxia Therapy in Individuals with SCI

A study to investigate the effectiveness of daily acute intermittent hypoxia therapy (dAIH), coupled with a massed practice intervention or the use of high repetition training.

Locomotor function following transcutaneous electrical spinal cord stimulation in individuals with hemiplegic stroke

Despite advances in stroke rehabilitation, more than two-thirds of the 7 million stroke survivors in the U.S. still struggle to walk independently in their communities. Most current therapies focus on stimulating the brain areas that control leg movement, yet many stroke survivors continue to face issues like poor coordination, spasticity, and muscle weakness. We propose a different approach—using electrical stimulation of the spinal cord to improve walking after stroke. This study is looking for persons who have had a stroke to determine if spinal stimulation helps improve walking ability.

Repetitive Acute Intermittent Hypoxia for Spinal Cord Repair

This research is being conducted to study the effects of breathing low oxygen air (hypoxia) and exercise training on recovery of upper limb (arms and hands) and lower limb (legs) function in people with spinal cord injury.