Older spinal cord injury patients show variable recovery and discharge

A retrospective cohort study from Germany challenges the assumption that very old spinal cord injury patients gain little from intensive inpatient rehabilitation. Researchers from BG Trauma Center Frankfurt and Agaplesion Markus Krankenhaus analyzed outcomes for 160 patients aged 60 and older who completed inpatient rehab for spinal cord injury between 2010 and 2025. Published in European Geriatric Medicine, the study found that while patients over 75 achieved smaller functional improvements than younger groups, most still returned home rather than being discharged to nursing homes or other institutions. The report situates the findings amid a demographic shift: injuries increasingly stem from low-energy falls as populations age. It also discusses barriers in older adults, including sarcopenia and age-related neurological recovery limitations.