Most spinal cord injuries have an almost immediate and devastating effect on the person’s motor control. These severe impairments result from the interrupted communication between the brain and spinal cord, which deprives the spinal cord below the injury of instructions from the higher-level executive functions in the body. Without the essential sources of direction and excitement from the brain, the parts coordinated below the injury on the spinal cord face severe motor deficits – often complete or partial paralysis.