After a comprehensive locomotor exercise, people with incomplete injuries usually recover substantially and even people with complete injuries will recover partial function.

Rehabilitation and fitness program for people with SCI should no longer be a once-and-done deal — function can be improved upon to help people with SCI heal.

If you have access to rehabilitation and fitness services, you’re going to be healthier, you’re going to recover more, and you’re going to require less medication. You’re not going to have to go to the doctor’s office as often and are more likely to stay out of the hospital with pressure sores and other complications.

"Medically, after cell transplant procedure has been carried out on a patient with SCI, the patient will not fully recover without locomotor exercise. The fact is that spontaneous regeneration occurs in the spinal cord and transplanted cells can improve regeneration, but the regenerated axons are very unlikely to make exactly the same connections, so training is necessary for the brain to learn to interpret sensory signals and how to use the new connections," Kelly Spellman co-founder Empower SCI said.

"To ensure people with SCI recover quickly, we created different avenues for comprehensive locomotor exercise for those who are not able to absorb the skills and information provided immediately after an injury. During rehabilitation, people with SCI who have had their injury for at least one year will receive comprehensive residential rehabilitation and locomotor exercise for a whole week. People with disabilities make their own goals, which are worked on around the clock with peers, caregivers, and therapists. Apart from exercise and therapy, SCI patients receive rehabilitation counseling to improve their coping skills, they are also provided with opportunities to challenge themselves through adaptive sports and social opportunities."

Locomotor training and several other therapies help people with SCI recover quickly, but it requires a huge commitment on the part of the people with SCI and their families.