Traumatic SCI results from either endogenous or exogenous trauma. Regardless of the cause, the resultant pathology is caused by two separate mechanisms:
primary injury mechanisms (the initial mechanical damage), and secondary injury mechanisms (secondary change due to vascular and biochemical effects; Ray et al. 2002, Rossignol et al. 2007). The initial impact leads to immediate hemorrhage and rapid cell death at the impact site, followed by multiple secondary injury cascades that cause further tissue loss and dysfunction.