»
The Spinal Cord Injury Zone
»
Search The Spinal Cord Injury Zone
|
|
Search for anything within The Spinal Cord Injury Zone website.
|
» The Spinal Cord Injury Zone - News
05/05/2008 One man's quest to walk again
After John Pou was paralyzed, he embarked on an arduous path of rehabIt was only a chair, but it had become his purgatory. Each
day that John Pou spent in the wheelchair, his spirit seemed to die a
little more. It was a perpetual reminder of the calamity that had
brought him and Marci, even the kids, to this place. The
chair stood for all that was lost: A promising career, a vigorous life
spent fishing the lakes of North Carolina, future plans conjured when
things were perfect — plans that seemed impossible now.
|
05/02/2008 Surfer girl finds out how fragile life really is
Devyn Bisson, 15, suffers a spinal cord injury, gears up the courage to surf again.BEACH She doesn't remember the man's name or much more about him.
Just that he approached her and asked for donations as she worked at
Becker Surfboards.And how that changed everything.
|
05/01/2008 Motorsports Legends Richard and Kyle Petty Make 'Pit Stop' to Meet Paralyzed Veterans at Richmond VA Hospital
Richard and Kyle Petty, in advance of the Crown Royal Presents Dan
Lowry 400, May 3 at the Richmond (VA) International Raceway, will drop
by to meet paralyzed veterans at Richmond’s Hunter Holmes McGuire
VA Medical Center on May 1, 2008. The legendary duo will visit with
seriously wounded troops and meet leaders and members of Paralyzed
Veterans of America (Paralyzed Veterans) Virginia Mid-Atlantic Chapter.
The Pettys are longtime supporters of Paralyzed Veterans’ work
to ensure that those who have served and sacrificed have everything
they need to thrive.
|
04/28/2008 The Quest for a Cure: Paving the Way in Paraplegic Research
World's Leading Spinal Cord Scientists Meet in Salzburg, AustriaThe foremost spinal cord injury
researchers from the U.S. and around the globe will meet
in Salzburg's
Hangar 7 this April 28-May 2 for a scientific symposium
hosted by Wings for
Life Spinal Cord Research Foundation. Twenty-six of the
world's most
renowned neuroscientists, including 13 U.S. scholars, will
be discussing
such topics as an injured spinal cord's ability to regenerate
and the
potential treatments for paraplegia.
|
04/28/2008 Spinal cord injury research hampered by animal models
Scientists say difficulty lies in extrapolating animal data to humansResearch on traumatic spinal cord injuries is
hampered by a reliance on animal experiments that don’t
accurately predict human outcomes, says a new study in the upcoming
edition of the peer-reviewed journal Reviews in the Neurosciences. The
review was written by scientists with the Physicians Committee for
Responsible Medicine.
“Despite decades of animal experiments, we still don’t have
a drug to cure spinal cord injury in humans,” says Aysha Akhtar,
a neurologist with PCRM and the lead author.
|
04/27/2008 New stem cell therapy for spinal injuries
Namita's life came to a standstill the day she suffered a spinal cord injury 16 years ago. Bound to a wheelchair all these years, she felt life was passing her by. Namita, who loved the outdoors, couldn't even move without help. But what embarrassed her most was her loss of bowel and bladder control. Depressed, she had almost become a recluse. Then life changed suddenly again after she went for a new stem cell therapy. It worked wonders — she has regained some movement of her legs; she can take a few steps with the help of a walker and has even regained control over her bladder.
Harsha, a Bangalore-based paraplegic, too has reason to smile these days. He had got used to life in a wheelchair for years. But a mesenchymal stem cell transplant in his spinal chord has given him some hope. Harsha can now move his limbs a little, and that's given him a new lease of hope.
|
04/27/2008 Show support for Wheels in Motion
A team of volunteers in Surrey is preparing to organize the sixth
annual Rick Hansen Wheels In Motion, presented by Scotiabank and taking
place on Sunday, June 8.
The Surrey
Event Committee, chaired by Stan Leyenhorst and Tara Cleave, is asking
the local community to show their support by joining the local event
committee.
“Last year’s event was an
unbelievable success and we want to build on that success this year by
getting as many people involved as possible,” said Cleave.
|
04/21/2008 New clinic opens at the Temple VA hospital
Military veterans with spinal cord injuries have a new place to get the specialized help they need in Central Texas. The
VA Hospital in Temple opened a new clinic Monday morning. More and more
veterans are finding the care they need at the VA Hospital in Temple.
|
04/16/2008 Spinal cord injury victims get support
Lena Schoemaker has always been
an athlete. She played varsity basketball and softball and ran cross
country at West High. A big part of her life was being active.
But a car accident in 2006 nearly took that all
away from her. She suffered a lacerated kidney and a collapsed lung and
- most life-altering of all - she was left paralyzed from the chest
down.
|
04/16/2008 Fil-Am is most severely wounded Iraq veteran
The most severely wounded and disabled US soldier to return home from
Iraq is a Filipino-American by the name of Joseph “Jay”
Briseno Jr. Shot in 2003 in the back of the neck at pointblank range
that severed his spinal cord and left him quadriplegic and blind, Jay
now lives with his parents and siblings in Virginia and requires
full-time, around-the-clock care.In an article by news editor Edmund
Silvestre published in the Filipino Reporter, Jay’s father Joseph
Sr., a retired US Army sergeant, describes the extent of his
son’s injuries and needs: “Aside from spinal cord and brain
injuries, Jay also suffered two cardiac arrests and has been attached
to a life support… doctors told us that he would die, that
it’s impossible for him to survive his injuries and that
it’s best for all of us if he were to die.”
|
» The Spinal Cord Injury Zone - Info
05/03/2008 Varied therapies for spinal cord injury
There is no cure for a spinal cord injury, but much headway has been
made in clinical research that could lead to one. Other therapies have
helped to restore some function in spinal cord injured patients. A look
at some efforts:Cell-based therapies hold the potential
for replacing cells and restoring function lost to disease or injury.
Among those being developed to help treat spinal cord injuriesGene therapy carries the potential to provide the injured spinal cord
with the specific gene products, or proteins, that it needs to promote
functional recovery. Gene therapy is not a current treatment for spinal
cord injuries but is being studied with animal models of spinal cord
injury.
|
04/28/2008 Quick Decompression Aids Spinal Injury Recovery
Patients having
decompression surgery within 24 hours of a cervical spinal cord injury may
have a better outcome than those who have the procedure later, according
to new research.Surgical decompression of the spinal cord involves the removal of various tissue or bone fragments that are being squeezed and comprising the spinal cord. While commonly done after an injury occurs, the timing of the procedure varies widely.
The study looked at 170 patients with cervical spinal cord injuries,
graded as A (most several neurological involvement) to D (least severe),
who underwent decompression surgery.
|
04/28/2008 Autonomic Dysreflexia: What You Need to Know
A free online webinar from the Reeve Foundation Paralysis Resource Center featuring Dr. Steve Stiens, M.D.Autonomic
Dysreflexia is a serious side effect for some people with paralysis.
It's a potentially fatal complication that involves hypertension and
sometimes leads to intracranial hemorrhage or stroke.
|
03/14/2008 Using Airbags without Seatbelts Increases Injury Risk
In motor vehicle crashes resulting in airbag
deployment, drivers and passengers who are not wearing seatbelts are at
higher risk of cervical spine (neck) fractures and other spinal cord
injuries, according to a study in the March 15 issue of Spine.
The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part
of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and
business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in
medicine, nursing, allied health, pharmacy and the pharmaceutical
industry."Airbags should be used in conjunction with seatbelts
to minimize the risk of cervical spine fractures and spinal cord
injuries associated with motor vehicle crashes," concludes the report
by Dr. William F. Donaldson III of University of Pittsburgh and
colleagues.
|
03/03/2008 Cyberkinetics' Andara OFS Therapy Featured in Presentations at the AANS/CNS Meeting
Researchers report that people with spinal cord injuries treated with
Cyberkinetics’ Andara™
OFS™ System showed significantly greater
neurological improvement than those in a separate study who received no
therapy for their spinal cord injuries.
“Results from each of these studies continue
to support the probable benefit of the Andara™
OFS™ System for people with acute spinal cord
injuries,” said Timothy R. Surgenor,
President and Chief Executive Officer at Cyberkinetics. “We
now have data that show two or three times the level of sensory
improvement compared to results from people that did not receive therapy
following their injuries in a prior study.”
|
02/25/2008 Spinal Cord Injury May Not Increase Risk of Heart Disease
Americans who live with spinal cord injury do not
appear to be at greater risk of developing carbohydrate and lipid
disorders such as insulin resistance, diabetes, impaired glucose
tolerance, and high or low blood cholesterol levels – risk
factors for heart disease – than able-bodied persons, according
to a new evidence review by HHS’ Agency for Healthcare Research
and Quality. More than a quarter million
Americans live with a disability due to spinal cord injury, and 11,000
are hospitalized annually. Spinal cord injury is usually caused by a
sudden traumatic blow to the spine such as from accidents or violent
events, including combat.
|
02/06/2008 Fitness Is Important If You Have A Spinal Cord Injury
Being fit means being trim, energized, and confident and this is still important for someone with spinal cord injury.
A fitness program for a spinal cord injury patient can provide
strength, education, confidence, and conditioning of mind and body
thereby increasing one’s flexibility, cardiovascular, and
strength. With all these goals in mind, a person can improve his or her
functional mobility and daily activities and even return to his or her
recreational sports or hobbies.
People with spinal cord injury require stronger shoulder muscles in
order to reduce pain, prevent risk of injury, and to improve the
function of their upper extremities from propelling their wheelchair
everyday.
|
01/15/2008 First Published SF-6D Utility Measures For Paraplegia And Tetraplegia
The cost of care and equipment for a person with a high-level spinal
cord injury (tetraplegia) is estimated as $50,000 to $280,000 AUD per
annum dependent on level of injury. Important way governments and other
health funders can work out the value of these health care expenditures
to society is through utility values which take into account people's
health preferences.
This paper provides the first SF-6D utility values for people with a spinal cord injury
|
12/25/2007 Spinal Cord Injury and its Legal Remedy
The spinal cord connects the brain to most of our body organs a minor
injury inflicted in this vital part of our body may result to severe
and fatal damages.
Most of us have learned the importance of the
spinal cord in our body during our schooling. The spinal cord connects
the brain to most of our body organs enabling them to perform their
respective bodily functions. As an example, if a person needs to carry
a pail of water, his brain will send impulses to the corresponding
muscle through the nerves found in the spinal cord, then the
responsible muscle will perform the job accordingly. Our spinal cord is
also a delicate part of our body. Hence, a minor spinal cord injury
(SCI) inflicted in this vital part of our body may result to severe and
fatal damages.
|
10/31/2007 Ayurvedic Home Remedies for Paralysis
It is a form when neurosyphilis occurs after 5-20 years after the
(original) venereal infection. The infecting organisms gradually or
progressively destroy the sensory nerves, when severe stabbing pains
occur in the trunk and legs, gait becomes tottering or staggering and
unsteady, loss of control over bladder is another accompanying symptom.
A few patients may have damage of optic nerves that results in blurred
vision. Young or middle aged persons are often the victims. Nomeclation
of disease depends on the affection of a particular area of body like
brain, spinal cord or nerves; that is why terms like cerebral, spinal
or peripheral paralysis are often used.
Shaking or Trembling Paralysis or Paralysis Agitans, or Parkinsonism
(Parkinson's disease) are the terms used for rigidity of muscles and
rhythmical tremors.
|
» The Spinal Cord Injury Zone - Questions
09/22/2007 What is the spinal cord?
This may seem to be silly question but, until people get spinal cord
injury or know somebody who is, most pay little attention to their
spinal cords. Most people don’t know the different parts of the
spinal cord, what each part does, and how the spinal cord transmits
sensory and motor information. Many think that the spinal cord conducts
information like a telephone wire and the spinal cord can be fixed by
reconnecting it. Some people mistakenly believe that the spinal cord is
the vertebral column. While almost everybody knows that spinal cord
injury causes paralysis, many are not aware that the spinal cord also
controls the bladder and bowel, sexual function, blood pressure, skin
blood flow, sweating, and temperature regulation.
|
07/10/2007 What are the effects of SCI?
The effects of SCI depend on the type of
injury and the level of the injury. SCI can be divided into two types
of injury - complete and incomplete. A complete injury means that there
is no function below the level of the injury; no sensation and no
voluntary movement. Both sides of the body are equally affected. An
incomplete injury means that there is some functioning below the
primary level of the injury. A person with an incomplete injury may be
able to move one limb more than another, may be able to feel parts of
the body that cannot be moved, or may have more functioning on one side
of the body than the other. With the advances in acute treatment of
SCI, incomplete injuries are becoming more common.
|
06/05/2007 What is Spinal Cord Injury?
Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) is damage to the spinal
cord that results in a loss of function such as mobility or feeling.
Frequent causes of damage are trauma (car accident, gunshot,
falls, etc.) or disease (polio, spina bifida, Friedreich's Ataxia,
etc.). The spinal cord does not have to be severed in order for a loss
of functioning to occur. In fact, in most people with SCI, the spinal
cord is intact, but the damage to it results in loss of functioning.
SCI is very different from back injuries such as ruptured disks, spinal
stenosis or pinched nerves.
|
05/20/2007 What is the spinal cord and the vertebra?
The spinal cord is about 18 inches long and
extends from the base of the brain, down the middle of the back, to
about the waist. The nerves that lie within the spinal cord are upper
motor neurons (UMNs) and their function is to carry the messages back
and forth from the brain to the spinal nerves along the spinal tract.
The spinal nerves that branch out from the spinal cord to the other
parts of the body are called lower motor neurons (LMNs). These spinal
nerves exit and enter at each vertebral level and communicate with
specific areas of the body. The sensory portions of the LMN carry
messages about sensation from the skin and other body parts and organs
to the brain. The motor portions of the LMN send messages from the
brain to the various body parts to initiate actions such as muscle
movement.
|
02/27/2007 Why is my spinal cord important?
Your Spinal Cord is important because without a spinal cord your brain and your body couldn't communicate with each other. The spinal cord is the pathway for impulses
from the body to the brain, and from the brain
to the body. These impulses are different signals our brain sends and receives from our bodies.
|
02/21/2007 I need help in getting something so I can use my computer. Can you help me?
I have a spinal cord injury and have no mobility from the neck down. I need some help in getting something so I can use my computer. Can you help me?
|
01/23/2007 What's the difference between a paraplegic and a quadriplegic?
Spinal cord injuries occur when there's damage to the spinal cord.
The result is loss of function, usually in mobility or feeling. Severe
injuries that occur in the neck usually result in quadriplegia, which
is paralysis from about the shoulders down. Typically, the higher the
neck injury, the more disability there is.More than 54 percent of spinal cord injuries are the result of
vehicular collisions. More than a quarter result from other medical
conditions and sports injuries. Falls make up about 18 percent.
|
11/24/2005 What is a disability trial work period?
The trial work period (TWP) allows disability beneficiaries to test
their ability to work for at least nine months. During the TWP, Social
Security beneficiaries may earn any amount and receive full Social
Security Disability benefits. Effective Jan. 1, 2001, earnings of $530
per month count as a trial work month. After completion of nine trial
work months, the substantial gainful activity (SGA) level is used to
determine whether earnings are substantial or not. If earnings fall
below the SGA level, full benefits generally continue. If earnings are
higher than the SGA level, cash benefits are normally suspended while
medical benefits continue. Beginning Jan. 1, 2001, a Social Security
Disability SGA level is $740 a month, or $1,240for a person who is
blind. This amount will be automatically adjusted annually based on
increases in the national average wage index.
|
11/18/2005 What is Paraplegia and Quadriplegia?
Paraplegia is the loss of sensation and movement in legs and in part or
all of the trunk, usually resulting from an injury to the spinal cord
below the neck. Quadriplegia (also Tetraplegia) is paralysis of all
four limbs (from the neck down) resulting from injury to the neck.
Fractures or compression of the vertebrae, which cause permanent damage
to the spinal cord may lead to loss of sensation, movement, pain
management, bladder and bowel control, as well as affecting sexual
function.
|
09/24/2005 What is spinal cord injury?
Many misconceptions abound concerning spinal cord injury. For example,
many people believe that the spinal cord below the injury site dies
after injury. Others think that the injured spinal cord is like a cut
telephone wire and can be fixed by reconnecting the cut ends. Some
people think that the vertebral column is the spinal cord. Even doctors
have misleading and inaccurate ideas about spinal cord injury. For
example, many doctors casually use the word “transection”
to refer to severely injured spinal cords. The word should only be
applied to the extremely rare situation when the spinal cord has been
cut and the cut ends are separated.
|
»
What is Spinal Cord Injury?
|
|
Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) is damage to the spinal
cord that results in a loss of function such as mobility or feeling.
Frequent causes of damage are trauma (car accident, gunshot, falls,
etc.) or disease (polio, spina bifida, Friedreich's Ataxia, etc.). The
spinal cord does not have to be severed in order for a loss of
functioning to occur. In fact, in most people with SCI, the spinal cord
is intact, but the damage to it results in loss of functioning. SCI is
very different from back injuries such as ruptured disks, spinal
stenosis or pinched nerves.
A person can "break their back or
neck" yet not sustain a spinal cord injury if only the bones around the
spinal cord (the vertebrae) are damaged, but the spinal cord is not
affected. In these situations, the individual may not experience
paralysis after the bones are stabilized.
|
»
Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury
|
|
The term "spinal cord injury" refers to any injury of the neural (pertaining to nerves) elements within the spinal canal. 
SCI can occur from either trauma or disease to the vertebral column or the spinal cord itself. Most spinal cord injuries are the result of trauma to the vertebral column. These injuries can affect the spinal cord's ability to send and receive messages from the brain to the body systems that control sensory, motor, and autonomic function below the level of injury. Depending on the location and severity of the injury, the body can be affected in a myriad of ways. Typically, the nerves above the injury site continue to function as they always have and the nerves below the site do not.
|
No articles found.
» Spinal Cord Injury Chat Room
|
The Spinal Cord Injury Zone web site (