Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a common neurotraumatic damage, which may lead to paralysis or even death in patients and impose a significant medical burden on society. Various forms of regulated cell deaths (RCD), such as apoptosis, autophagy, pyroptosis, ferroptosis and so on, occur during the process of SCI. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), molecules or free radicals produced during incomplete reduction of oxygen in cellular metabolism, regulate RCD through various mechanisms in SCI, thereby influencing its prognosis. This paper reviews the mechanisms by which ROS regulate RCD in SCI in recent years.