I'm in rehab
This window matters. Motion is medicine: the stretching, positioning, and range-of-motion work you do now decides how much freedom your joints give you later — this site exists because our founder learned that the hard way. Everything on the site for this stage is below, organized around one goal: leave rehab with more than you came in with.
Compare facilities
The Rehab Finder →
~1,200 U.S. inpatient facilities compared on quality, SCI volume, and Model System status.Know the road
The Hospital Phase →
Acute care to inpatient rehab, step by step — what happens and what to push for.The gold standard
SCI Model Systems →
The 18 top research hospitals for SCI care — and why being at one matters.Understand the injury
The questions everyone asks in the first months — answered honestly, in plain language, without false certainty in either direction.
- What to Expect by Injury LevelFunction level by level, C1–C4 through sacral
- Complete vs. IncompleteWhat your ASIA classification actually means
- Will I Recover?Prognosis, timelines, and realistic hope
- Spinal ShockWhy early exams can look worse than the real injury
- Non-Traumatic SCITumors, infections, ischemia — when there was no accident
- Pediatric SCIA guide for families of injured children
- The SCI GlossaryEvery term the care team keeps using, in plain language
Make every session count
Therapy hours are the most valuable currency you have right now. Spend them deliberately — and keep fighting for more.
- Physical Therapy & RehabActivity-based therapy, FES, and fighting for more gains
- Protect Your Hands & JointsPreventing the contractures that steal function — starting now
- Transfers & Wheelchair SkillsThe mechanics of independence
- Fight for the Right RehabWhy the facility choice shapes recovery — and how to switch
- Activity-Based Therapy FinderABT programs and gyms to continue gains after discharge
- Rehab & PT ForumAsk people who've been through the same program
Protect your body now
The complications that derail rehab are mostly preventable. Learn the big ones before they find you.
- Pressure InjuriesThey start in hospital beds — daily checks from day one
- Autonomic DysreflexiaThe emergency protocol to learn before you need it
- Bladder ManagementCatheter options and the education rehab should be giving you
- Bowel ManagementGetting a program that works before discharge
- Blood ClotsDVT risk is highest in these months — signs and prevention
- Low Blood PressureOrthostatic hypotension and surviving the tilt table
- Spasticity & SpasmsWhen tone shows up as spinal shock fades
- Respiratory CareBreathing exercises, cough assist, and pneumonia prevention
- High Cervical & Vent LifeThe C1–C4 survival guide for patients and families
- Mental Health & AdjustmentGrief, adjustment, and getting real help — it's part of rehab
Plan the going-home project
Discharge is a project — start it at least two weeks out. Equipment and home modifications take longer than anyone tells you.
- What to Ask Before DischargeEverything to secure before you leave
- The Equipment GuideOrder the wheelchair early — denials and delays are the norm
- Wheelchair CushionsYour first cushion is a medical decision, not an accessory
- Home ModificationsRamp, doorways, bathroom — start the work now
- Accessible HousingWhen the current home can't be made to work
- Health InsurancePrior-auth and appeals for equipment and rehab days
- Disability & BenefitsSSDI/SSI take months — start the paperwork from the hospital
- Hiring PCAsLine up help before you're home and need it
For family, right now
Rehab is when caregivers get trained — insist on it. These are the essentials for the people in your corner.
- The Caregiver HubTraining, body mechanics, paid-care programs, and burnout
- The Protocol BinderPrintable cards for AD, bowel, bladder, skin, and transfers
- The First 30 DaysUnderstand what your person is facing
- First 30 Days PacketPrintable logs, contact sheets, and call scripts
- Newly Injured & Family ForumNo question is too basic