In C8 spinal cord injury patient which type of a wheelchair do we recommend? I know C8 level patient is independent for sliding board transfer. Do we consider this in C8 SCI patients as well?

A patient with C7 – C8 level spinal cord injury may use an electric wheelchair for long independent travel or uneven outdoor surfaces. A manual wheelchair may be used for short distances on flat surfaces.

On a related note, I’d like to bring to your attention that a quirk of the cervical spine means that there are typically 7 vertebrae (C1 to C7) but 8 spinal roots (C1 to C8). I point this out because fracture of the C8 vertebrae is unlikely but the C8 nerve roots may be damaged following an injury to the spinal cord at the junction of both the cervical and thoracic spine (C7/T1) where the C8 nerve roots exit.