New Zealand has over 5000 people with a spinal cord injury.
New Zealand has the highest per capita rate of people confined to
wheelchairs – virtually double the rate of other western countries. Some believe
this is because we enjoy more outdoor activity than people in more populated
countries. This leads to greater risk of injury.
But car accidents, sports injuries and other outdoor pursuits in that
approximate order, are the major causes of serious disabilities created by
spinal cord damage.
