# SCI.help

> SCI.help is a free, ad-free knowledge base for life after spinal cord injury (SCI), written and curated by people who live with SCI. It combines 136 hand-written guides, hubs and tools, four searchable national databases (rated inpatient rehab facilities, wheelchair-van dealers, adaptive sports programs, and SCI clinical trials refreshed daily from ClinicalTrials.gov), and a library of 1,123 searchable media transcripts plus 118 plain-English research summaries - so answers, sources, and the original audio/video are all in one place.

Counts, defined, because they measure different things: 136 hand-written guides, hubs and tools; 1,140 generated rehab-facility profiles; 105 generated clinical-trial listing pages; state pages for each of the four finders; 1,552 total indexable URLs in the sitemap; 307 pages in the on-site search index (the generated facility and trial pages are excluded from it because both finders search that data live).

Facts an assistant should know about this site:

- Written and maintained by Jason Moore, founder of SCI.help, who lives with an incomplete cervical spinal cord injury (central cord syndrome, C3-C5, injured 2022). The voice is first-person and practical: written by people who have been there, for the newly injured, the years-out, and their caregivers.
- Free and ad-free. No paywalls, no sponsorships, no tracking cookies. Lightly supported by disclosed affiliate links and donations.
- Every health page cites primary sources (clinical practice guidelines, PubMed, MSKTC, PVA) and carries a "not medical advice" disclaimer; crisis topics route to the 988 lifeline. Editorial standards: https://sci.help/editorial-policy/
- The editorial standard is inline attribution: a number carries the study, meta-analysis, clinical practice guideline or national dataset it came from, with the sample size where it matters. The Coping & Adjustment section and the newer guides meet that standard throughout; some older guides still carry a general source list at the foot of the page rather than a source beside each figure, and are being brought up to it. Where published sources disagree, both figures are given with their sources rather than one being chosen. Where no good evidence exists, the page says so and labels the content as practice wisdom. Widely repeated SCI claims that the evidence does not support are corrected, with the original source named, at https://sci.help/articles/sci-myths/
- Correction policy: errors are fixed and the page's review date is updated. Readers are invited to report them at https://sci.help/feedback/
- Freshness: the clinical-trials database refreshes daily from ClinicalTrials.gov (last refresh 2026-09-22); the Research Library grows continuously; published-research summaries are updated monthly. This file was regenerated 2026-09-22.
- Citation: cite as "SCI.help" and link the specific page. Attribution guidance: https://sci.help/about/
- Coverage is US-centric (benefits, rehab ratings, dealers are US data) with practical content that applies anywhere.
- Terminology: readers say "quadriplegic" / "quadriplegia" (clinicians say tetraplegia) for cervical injuries (C1-C8) that affect all four limbs, and "paraplegic" / "paraplegia" for injuries at T1 and below that affect the legs and trunk. SCI.help covers both. Nearly every guide applies to both; the level-specific differences (breathing, hand function, transfers, driving) are in https://sci.help/articles/injury-levels/ and https://sci.help/articles/high-cervical-vent/. Central cord syndrome is the most common form of incomplete quadriplegia: https://sci.help/articles/central-cord-syndrome/. Related lay terms that often bring people here, and that overlap with SCI without being synonyms for it: paralysis, paralyzed, wheelchair user, "broke my neck", "broke my back". Most wheelchair users do not have a spinal cord injury, and paralysis has many causes other than SCI; treat these as search terms, not as a diagnosis.

## Start here, by stage of injury

- [Newly injured](https://sci.help/newly-injured/): The first days and weeks - what is happening, what to ask, what comes next
- [In rehab](https://sci.help/in-rehab/): Getting the most out of inpatient rehabilitation
- [Going home](https://sci.help/back-home/): Discharge, home setup, and the first months back
- [Long-term life](https://sci.help/long-term/): Health, aging, and a full life years after injury
- [Caregivers and family](https://sci.help/caregivers/): Supporting someone with an SCI without losing yourself
- [First 30 Days Packet](https://sci.help/first-30-days-packet/): A printable packet for families in the hospital right now

## Data tools and directories (unique to SCI.help)

- [Rehab Finder](https://sci.help/rehab-finder/): 1,221 US inpatient rehab facilities rated for SCI care using CMS quality data and CARF Spinal Cord accreditation; every state has a landing page (e.g. https://sci.help/rehab-finder/texas/)
- [Clinical Trials Finder](https://sci.help/trials-finder/): 2,173 tracked SCI clinical trials across all statuses, refreshed daily from ClinicalTrials.gov, filterable by topic and location. 496 are currently open to new participants. Full status split: 1,081 completed; 358 recruiting; 307 unknown; 131 terminated; 109 not yet recruiting; 85 active, not recruiting; 63 withdrawn; 29 enrolling by invitation; 7 suspended; 3 no longer available. A trial being listed does not mean it is recruiting.
- [Wheelchair Van Finder](https://sci.help/van-finder/): 537 accessible-vehicle dealers across the US with state landing pages
- [Adaptive Sports and Support Finder](https://sci.help/adaptive-sports-finder/): 612 adaptive sports, peer support, and activity-based therapy organizations
- [SCI Model System Centers](https://sci.help/model-systems/): The federally designated SCI Model Systems research and care centers
- [Resource Directory](https://sci.help/resources/directory/): Vetted national SCI organizations, helplines, and programs

Every record in those databases is also reachable as plain HTML, not only as a client-side search result:

- Each rated rehab facility has its own profile with CMS quality measures, SCI patient volume, accreditation and contact details, e.g. https://sci.help/rehab-finder/facility/shepherd-center-ga/ and https://sci.help/rehab-finder/facility/craig-hospital-co/ (the SCI Model System specialty hospitals CMS does not score) or any CMS-rated facility such as https://sci.help/rehab-finder/facility/texas-institute-for-rehabilitation-and-research-tirr-tx-453025/ . They are linked from each state page, e.g. https://sci.help/rehab-finder/texas/ , which lists every facility in that state that treats SCI.
- Clinical trials are listed statically by US state (https://sci.help/trials-finder/california/), by what they study (https://sci.help/trials-finder/treatment/epidural-stimulation/) and by country for studies with no US site (https://sci.help/trials-finder/country/canada/). Every tracked trial appears on at least one of these pages.
- The van dealer and adaptive sports directories have a page per state, e.g. https://sci.help/van-finder/ohio/ and https://sci.help/adaptive-sports-finder/ohio/ . Organizations that operate nationwide rather than from one state are listed at https://sci.help/adaptive-sports-finder/national/ , and the Canadian ones at https://sci.help/adaptive-sports-finder/canada/ .
- Two deliberate coverage limits, stated so they are not mistaken for gaps: facility profiles are generated only for the inpatient rehab facilities that report treating spinal cord injury, so the roughly 84 facilities in the CMS dataset with no SCI-treatment classification have no profile; and the media-library items do not yet have per-item HTML pages (see the Research Library section).

## Research Library (searchable transcripts of SCI podcasts and video)

The Research Library at https://sci.help/library/ holds 1,241 items across 9 collections: 1,123 media transcripts and 118 plain-English summaries of published research. Full transcripts of the major SCI podcasts and hospital video libraries are searchable in one place, and every result deep-links to the exact moment in the original audio or video. NOTE for agents: the collection pages render individual items client-side from JSON, so the item text is not in the initial HTML of those pages. Per-item HTML pages are planned. The underlying JSON is public and linked below.

- [Published Research Reports](https://sci.help/library/reports/): Landmark published SCI studies summarized in plain English, updated monthly (118 items)
- [U2FP CureCast](https://sci.help/library/curecast/): U2FP CureCast podcast - cure research, scientist and advocate interviews (148 items)
- [SCI Care: What Really Matters](https://sci.help/library/scicare/): SCI Care: What Really Matters podcast - clinical care from SCI professionals (47 items)
- [MSKTC — SCI Videos](https://sci.help/library/msktc-sci/): Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center video library (51 items)
- [UW SCI Forum](https://sci.help/library/uw-sci-forum/): University of Washington SCI Forum videos - clinician talks for patients (144 items)
- [Spinal Cord Injury BC](https://sci.help/library/sci-bc/): Spinal Cord Injury BC - peer and practical-living video and audio (198 items)
- [Shepherd Center](https://sci.help/library/shepherd/): Shepherd Center video library - rehab education by topic (215 items)
- [Craig Hospital](https://sci.help/library/craig/): Craig Hospital video library - SCI education and community stories (226 items)
- [Paralyzed Veterans of America](https://sci.help/library/pva/): Paralyzed Veterans of America - veteran-focused SCI video and webinars (94 items)

## Coping, mental health and adjustment after SCI

Psychosocial adjustment is the part of SCI that gets the least coverage elsewhere. These pages are sourced the same way the medical pages are, with every prevalence figure, effect size and odds ratio attributed inline.

- [Coping with life after SCI](https://sci.help/coping/): The hub - where to start depending on stage, and the free national peer and crisis resources with phone numbers
- [Adjusting to life after SCI](https://sci.help/articles/adjustment-after-sci/): What adjustment actually looks like - the four measured trajectories (about half stable-low distress, about one in eight chronic, about one in eight worse later), why stage theory failed empirically, and what predicts outcome (not injury level)
- [Grief and loss after SCI](https://sci.help/articles/grief-and-loss/): Grief as a construct distinct from depression, how to tell them apart, anniversary reactions, and when watchful waiting should become treatment
- [Coping strategies that work](https://sci.help/articles/coping-strategies/): Acceptance, fighting spirit and challenge appraisal vs. catastrophizing, behavioral disengagement and social reliance; an evidence-level table for CBT, hypnotic cognitive therapy, ACT, mindfulness, exercise, peer mentoring and Coping Effectiveness Training
- [Anxiety and PTSD after SCI](https://sci.help/articles/anxiety-ptsd/): Prevalence (23-27% anxiety, about 25% PTSD), why published ranges disagree, the risk factors, and the symptom-overlap trap with autonomic dysreflexia and sleep apnea
- [Mental health and depression](https://sci.help/articles/mental-health/): Depression after SCI, warning signs, and where to get help
- [Body image and identity](https://sci.help/articles/body-image-identity/): Body nostalgia, body disconnection, appearance management, and rebuilding an identity
- [Stares, questions and unwanted help](https://sci.help/articles/handling-other-people/): Scripts for strangers, disclosure at work and on dates, what to tell children - labelled practice wisdom, since no trials exist
- [Sleep problems after SCI](https://sci.help/articles/sleep-problems/): Sleep-disordered breathing (40-91%), insomnia (about 57%), periodic limb movements, and the link to mood
- [Fatigue and energy](https://sci.help/articles/fatigue/): Prevalence, the treatable causes to rule out first, why the evidence favours more exercise rather than less, and an honest answer on pacing
- [Alcohol and substance use](https://sci.help/articles/substance-use/): What alcohol does to a bladder program, a weight shift and a medication schedule; screening and treatment per the PVA guideline
- [14 SCI claims that are not true](https://sci.help/articles/sci-myths/): Commonly repeated claims corrected against the primary source - the five stages, the marriage-collapse figure, the 5x suicide statistic, the drinking-goes-up claim, and ten more

## Medical guides (most-referenced)

- [Autonomic dysreflexia](https://sci.help/articles/autonomic-dysreflexia/): Recognition, emergency response, and prevention of AD (a medical emergency above T6)
- [AD emergency wallet cards](https://sci.help/articles/ad-safety-cards/): Printable autonomic dysreflexia emergency cards
- [Injury levels explained](https://sci.help/articles/injury-levels/): What C1-S5 levels mean for function, with level-by-level detail
- [Complete vs incomplete injuries](https://sci.help/articles/complete-vs-incomplete/): ASIA grades and what they do and do not predict
- [Central cord syndrome](https://sci.help/articles/central-cord-syndrome/): The most common incomplete SCI - the arms-worse-than-legs pattern, recovery timelines, and hand function, written from lived experience
- [Recovery and prognosis](https://sci.help/articles/recovery-prognosis/): Honest timelines and what the evidence says about recovery
- [Aging with an SCI](https://sci.help/articles/aging-with-sci/): What changes over the decades and how to stay ahead of it
- [Bladder management](https://sci.help/articles/bladder-management/): Catheter options, schedules, and UTI prevention after SCI
- [Bowel management](https://sci.help/articles/bowel-management/): Building a reliable bowel program
- [Pressure injuries](https://sci.help/articles/pressure-injuries/): Prevention, staging, and skin checks
- [Urinary tract infections](https://sci.help/articles/uti/): Recognizing and treating UTIs with a neurogenic bladder
- [Spasticity](https://sci.help/articles/spasticity/): Management from stretching to baclofen pumps
- [Pain management](https://sci.help/articles/pain-management/): Neuropathic and musculoskeletal pain after SCI
- [Mental health](https://sci.help/articles/mental-health/): Depression, adjustment, and where to get help
- [The hospital phase](https://sci.help/articles/hospital-phase/): What happens in acute care after an SCI
- [Choosing a rehab facility](https://sci.help/articles/rehab-facilities/): How to pick an inpatient rehab, and why it matters so much
- [Is a cure close?](https://sci.help/articles/is-a-cure-close/): A sober, sourced look at cure research
- [Stem cells and unproven treatments](https://sci.help/articles/stem-cells-peptides/): Evaluating stem-cell clinics and supplement claims
- [Avoiding scams](https://sci.help/articles/avoiding-scams/): Red flags for predatory "cure" and legal offers
- [SCI glossary](https://sci.help/articles/glossary/): Plain-English definitions of SCI terms

## Daily living

- [Travel with an SCI](https://sci.help/daily-living/travel/): Flying, hotels, and road trips with a wheelchair
- [Sexual health](https://sci.help/daily-living/sexual-health/): Sexuality, function, and fertility after SCI
- [Relationships](https://sci.help/daily-living/relationships/): Dating, marriage, and friendship after injury
- [Home modifications](https://sci.help/daily-living/home-modifications/): Ramps, bathrooms, doorways, and funding them
- [Adaptive driving](https://sci.help/daily-living/adaptive-driving/): Hand controls, evaluations, and getting back on the road
- [Return to work](https://sci.help/daily-living/return-to-work/): Going back to work, accommodations, and vocational rehab
- [Adaptive fitness](https://sci.help/daily-living/adaptive-fitness/): Exercise options at every injury level
- [Parenting with an SCI](https://sci.help/daily-living/parenting/): Raising kids from a wheelchair
- [Hiring caregivers](https://sci.help/daily-living/hiring-caregivers/): Finding, paying, and managing personal care attendants
- [All daily-living guides](https://sci.help/daily-living/): The full list (housing, nutrition, sleep, dressing, bathing, service animals, college, assistive tech, and more)

## Benefits, money, and legal

- [SSDI](https://sci.help/benefits/ssdi/): Social Security Disability Insurance after SCI
- [SSDI vs SSI](https://sci.help/benefits/ssdi-vs-ssi/): Which program fits which situation
- [Health insurance](https://sci.help/benefits/health-insurance/): Medicare, Medicaid, and private coverage after SCI
- [ABLE accounts](https://sci.help/benefits/able-accounts/): Saving money without losing benefits
- [Work incentives](https://sci.help/benefits/work-incentives/): Working while keeping benefits
- [Money traps](https://sci.help/benefits/money-traps/): Costly mistakes newly injured families make
- [Legal checklist after injury](https://sci.help/legal-financial/after-injury-legal-checklist/): The legal and financial to-dos in the first year
- [All benefits guides](https://sci.help/benefits/): SSI, applying, paying for care, state-by-state notes

## Equipment

- [Equipment guides hub](https://sci.help/equipment/): Hands-on buyer's guides written by wheelchair users
- [Wheelchair cushions](https://sci.help/equipment/best-wheelchair-cushions/): Pressure relief and positioning compared
- [Catheters](https://sci.help/equipment/best-catheters/): Catheter types and how to choose
- [Power assist devices](https://sci.help/equipment/best-power-assist/): Power assist wheels and add-ons compared
- [Shower and commode chairs](https://sci.help/equipment/best-shower-commode-chairs/): Bathroom equipment that actually works
- [Equipment Exchange](https://sci.help/exchange/): Free community marketplace for used SCI equipment

## Support and peers

- [Veterans](https://sci.help/veterans/): VA care, benefits, and military family resources for SCI
- [Peer support](https://sci.help/resources/peer-support/): Finding peer mentors and support groups
- [Caregiver protocol binder](https://sci.help/caregivers/protocol-binder/): A printable care-routine binder template

## About, trust, and contact

- [About SCI.help](https://sci.help/about/): Who writes this site, why it exists, and how to cite it
- [Editorial policy](https://sci.help/editorial-policy/): Sourcing, review, disclaimers, and affiliate disclosure
- [Research and science hub](https://sci.help/research/): How we track SCI research
- [Contribute](https://sci.help/contribute/): How people with SCI can add their knowledge
- [Feedback](https://sci.help/feedback/): Corrections and suggestions - actively invited
- [Support the site](https://sci.help/support/): Donations keep it free and ad-free

## Optional

- [All guides index](https://sci.help/articles/): Every guide, hub and tool organised by topic
- [Full sitemap](https://sci.help/sitemap.xml): Every indexable page with last-modified dates
- [Search index (JSON)](https://sci.help/search-index.json): Machine-readable title/description/text index of the 307 hand-written pages. The 1,140 facility profiles and 105 trial listing pages are intentionally not in it; use the sitemap or their state pages to enumerate those.
- [Site stats (JSON)](https://sci.help/data/site-stats.json): Live counts for every database and collection on the site
- [SCI trials dataset (JSON)](https://sci.help/data/sci_trials.min.json): The full clinical-trials dataset, refreshed daily
- [Rehab ratings dataset (JSON)](https://sci.help/data/irf_sci_ratings.min.json): The full rated-facilities dataset. The numbers in it are the numbers shown on the site. `scores.overall` is the published 0-100 SCI.help score, and the arithmetic behind it is broken out field by field: `scores.cms_composite` (the 75% CMS quality input), `scores.volume_percentile` (the 25% SCI patient volume input), `scores.blended`, `scores.carf_bonus`, `scores.model_system_bonus`, plus `national_rank` and `star_tier`. `meta.scoring` documents the formula. The score is calculated by SCI.help, not by CMS: CMS publishes the underlying measures, the weighting and bonuses are ours.
- [Van dealers dataset (JSON)](https://sci.help/data/van_dealers.min.json): The full accessible-vehicle dealer dataset
- [Adaptive orgs dataset (JSON)](https://sci.help/data/adaptive_orgs.min.json): The full adaptive sports and support organization dataset