Spinal Cord Injuries · New Mexico
Understanding the ASIA Scale in Your New Mexico Spinal Cord Injury Claim
Learn how the ASIA Impairment Scale fits into a spinal cord injury claim, and talk with El Gringo Law about your situation. Your first consultation is free, confidential, and comes with no obligation to continue.
By Josh Wood · Published November 7, 2026
An ASIA scale rating is a letter grade from A to E that shows how much spinal cord function is left after an injury. In a claim, the grade is one piece of medical evidence. It doesn’t decide what a claim is worth. This page explains what each grade means, how the grade is assigned, and why the dates in the chart matter. If you’re researching this for someone you love, the New Mexico spinal cord injury claims guide covers the wider picture.
What the ASIA Impairment Scale Measures
The ASIA Impairment Scale is the standard grading system for how much spinal cord function is preserved after an injury. The American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) maintains the scale. A trained clinician assigns the grade using the International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI) exam.
The grade describes nerve function. It doesn’t describe how the injury happened, and it doesn’t describe a person’s whole health. The crash is the cause of the injury. The grade records what the spinal cord can still do afterward.
Doctors use the scale because it gives everyone the same language. A rehab team, an insurer’s reviewer, and a court can all read the same chart entry. MedlinePlus explains that complete and incomplete injuries can both cause paralysis, which is why the difference matters.
Waiting on a family member's diagnosis and records is hard, and you don't have to sort out the medical and legal questions by yourself. Talk it through with our team — the first consultation is free, confidential, and carries no obligation.
The Five ASIA Grades, A Through E
The grades run from A, a complete injury, to E, normal function. Doctors and claim discussions use the words “complete” and “incomplete” to sort these grades into groups.
Grade A (complete): No motor or sensory function is preserved in the lowest sacral segments, S4 and S5, at the bottom of the spine.
Grade B (sensory incomplete): Sensation is preserved below the injury, including S4 and S5, but movement isn’t preserved in those segments.
Grades C and D (motor incomplete): Some movement is preserved below the injury. Grade C means fewer than half of the key muscles below the injury level have useful strength. Grade D means half or more do.
Grade E (normal): Sensation and movement test normal in all segments.
So grade A is the complete group, and grades B through D are the incomplete group. When you read a chart, look for the letter first. Then read the notes that explain it.
How the ISNCSCI Exam Assigns the Grade
A trained clinician assigns the grade through a standard exam, and the results go on a standard worksheet. The worksheet is the same no matter who runs the exam.
The examiner tests light touch and pinprick sensation at many points on each side of the body. Then the examiner tests strength in a set of key muscles on each side, scoring each one on a numbered scale. These results help locate the neurological level, the lowest point where function is still normal.
Next comes the sacral check. The examiner tests sensation at the lowest sacral segments and looks for voluntary anal muscle contraction. These findings help decide whether the injury is complete or incomplete.
Because every examiner uses the same worksheet, the same grade can be compared across doctors and hospitals. A blank box on the form is a gap. Ask the care team what it means and whether it was filled in later.
Why the Grade Can Change Over Time
The grade can change after the first exam, so each exam’s date matters. Early exams can differ from later ones for many reasons, and the chart should say when each one happened.
A single early grade doesn’t describe the long-term picture. Serial exams, which are repeated neurological checks over time, show the trend. A chart with one exam and no follow-up leaves a big question open.
Each grade in a chart is a clinical finding on a specific date, recorded by a specific examiner. Ask the care team for the date and examiner name for each grade. Those details show what was known, and when it was known.
Why the Rating Matters in a Spinal Cord Injury Claim
The ASIA grade is objective medical evidence of how severe the injury is. It also helps explain what care the person may need.
Treating doctors and therapists look at the grade when they describe future needs. Those needs can include therapy, equipment, medical visits, and changes to a home or vehicle. The medical record is how those needs get documented.
The grade also connects to work. A treating doctor’s description of what a person can still do affects how lost earning ability is shown.
Two New Mexico rules also shape the picture. First, New Mexico uses comparative negligence, so an injured person’s share of fault reduces the award but doesn’t bar recovery, as Scott v. Rizzo explains. Second, the injury must connect to the crash. New Mexico’s high court defines a proximate cause as one that, in a natural and continuous sequence, produces the injury, as Herrera v. Quality Pontiac explains.
The grade is one input among several. Fault, insurance limits, and the full medical picture also matter. No single grade tells anyone what a claim is worth.
Records to Gather and Common Gaps
The records that document the grade include ISNCSCI exam forms, serial neurological exam notes, imaging reports, and inpatient rehabilitation records. Ask for files from every facility involved.
That includes emergency and trauma admission notes, transfer hospital files, and rehab records. Common gaps are incomplete exam forms, a grade written without a date or examiner, missing transfer records, and no follow-up exams after the first period. Each gap makes the record harder to read later.
Keep a dated log of symptoms, appointments, and therapy sessions. Notes written at the time help explain how the injury affects daily life.
If the driver was from another state, the records and claim steps can involve more coordination. See out-of-state driver spinal cord injury claims in New Mexico for that situation.
Dates matter too. In New Mexico, for an injury to the person or reputation of any person, actions must be brought within three years under NMSA § 37-1-8. Claims against a government entity have shorter limits: two years under NMSA § 41-4-15, and written notice within ninety days under NMSA § 41-4-16, subject to the statute’s exceptions.
Not sure what your next step is?
Talk it through with our team — the first consultation is free, confidential, and carries no obligation.
Talking With a New Mexico Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer
A conversation with a lawyer can help you sort medical records from legal deadlines. If you’re waiting on a family member’s diagnosis, you may be reading unfamiliar terms while making rehab decisions. That’s a lot to carry alone.
Josh Wood, a lawyer with El Gringo Law, is responsible for this page’s content. He is licensed in New Mexico and Arizona. Our team can walk through the records and the claim questions with you, at your pace.
Readers in Santa Fe and Rio Rancho can read the local pages for those areas. The initial consultation is free, confidential, and without obligation to continue. To start, reach out through our contact form.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does ASIA stand for?
ASIA stands for the American Spinal Injury Association, which maintains the ASIA Impairment Scale.
Can an ASIA grade change?
Yes. The grade can change over time, so the date of each exam matters.
How long do I have to file a spinal cord injury claim in New Mexico? The statute sets three years for actions for injury to a person, under NMSA § 37-1-8. Claims against government entities have shorter limits.
Can a family member have a claim?
A family member with a close relationship to the injured person can have their own loss of consortium claim. That claim belongs to the family member, not the injured person, under Thompson v. City of Albuquerque.
How El Gringo Law approaches an ASIA-based claim
Medical records review
We review the records that document your injury, including your ASIA grade and the date of each exam.
Tracking changes over time
An ASIA grade can change, so we pay close attention to when each evaluation was performed and what it found.
Coordinating with your care team
We work to understand the medical information your providers have recorded so that your claim reflects your injury accurately.
Plain-language updates
We explain each step of the process in clear terms so you know what to expect and what we need from you.
Keep every ASIA exam report
Save each ASIA exam report and note the date it was completed. A grade recorded at one visit may differ from a later exam, and those dates can matter to your claim.
Common questions about ASIA grades and claims
What does ASIA stand for?
ASIA stands for the American Spinal Injury Association, which maintains the ASIA Impairment Scale used to classify spinal cord injuries.
Can an ASIA grade change?
Yes. The grade can change over time, which is why the date of each exam matters. Bring every report to your consultation.
Can a family member have a question about a claim?
Family members often have questions about their role and their own concerns. Contact El Gringo Law to talk through your specific situation.