Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) significantly impairs physical function and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Despite its growing burden, research on functional outcomes and HRQoL among SCI patients in developing countries, including Nepal, remains limited.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the Spinal Injury Rehabilitation Center (SIRC), Nepal. All 85 eligible patients (aged 18–59 years) were enrolled using total enumeration. Functional ability was measured using the Spinal Cord Independence Measure version III (SCIM III), and HRQoL was assessed with the SF-36 survey. Association between variables was examined using the chi-square test, and Pearson correlation was used to assess the relationship between functional ability and HRQoL.

Results: The mean age was 36.34±11.79 years; 65.9% were male. Most respondents (92.9%) had paraplegia and 65.9% had incomplete SCI. Overall, 54.1% had good functional ability. Physical functioning was the most impaired HRQoL domain (mean 14.29±18.06), while social functioning was best preserved (56.62±30.41). Functional ability was significantly associated with age at injury (p=0.04), duration of injury (p=0.02), and level of injury (p=0.007). A moderate positive correlation was found between functional ability and HRQoL (r=0.34).

Conclusion: SCI patients in Nepal demonstrate substantially reduced HRQoL, particularly in physical domains. Functional ability is moderately correlated with HRQoL, underscoring the need for comprehensive multidisciplinary rehabilitation strategies that address physical, psychological, and social dimensions of recovery.

Keywords: Spinal Cord Injury, Rehabilitation, HRQoL