Acute spinal cord injury (SCI) patients lose body weight and muscle mass, despite being on a high-calorie diet while in the intensive care unit. Their muscle wasting is substantial and extends beyond what can explained by inactivity or denervation (loss of nerve supply) alone. Research sheds new light and decodes early muscle loss after SCI to provide an unprecedent first understanding that muscle wasting is rapid and severe; a systemic phenomenon and glucocorticoid dependent.