ASIA Impairment Scale
Updated: Jan 13, 2023
Author: Buck Christensen; Chief Editor: Buck Christensen
The extent of spinal cord injury (SCI) is defined by the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale (modified from the Frankel classification), using the following categories[1, 2, 3, 4, 5] :
A = Complete: No sensory or motor function is preserved in sacral segments S4-S5
B = Incomplete: Sensory, but not motor, function is preserved below the neurologic level and extends through sacral segments S4-S5
C = Incomplete: Motor function is preserved below the neurologic level, and most key muscles below the neurologic level have a muscle grade of less than 3
D = Incomplete: Motor function is preserved below the neurologic level, and most key muscles below the neurologic level have a muscle grade that is greater than or equal to 3
E = Normal: Sensory and motor functions are normal