FIGURE 1.

The pathophysiology behind spinal cord injury involves primary injury, describing initial mechanical trauma to the spinal trauma, and secondary injury, which sustains spinal cord damage. The secondary phase is further divided into acute (0–2 days), subacute (2–14 days) and chronic (>14 days), each with its own pathophysiological hallmarks. Neuroinflammation is a part of all the secondary injury phases, but the cell types involved vary. Astrocytes and microglia are the first to become reactive. They secrete cytokines/chemokines that recruit neutrophils in the acute phase. Neutrophil numbers subside in the subacute phase, coinciding with macrophage and lymphocyte infiltration. Macrophage and lymphocytes can stay elevated in the chronic phase to drive persistent inflammation and impair wound resolution. This figure was created with Biorender.com.