SCI Publications

Articles in this special journal issue describe the development and calibration of the item banks for the Spinal Cord Injury – Quality of Life (SCI-QOL) measurement system. Following an introductory overview of the SCI-QOL project, subsequent articles present one or more SCI-QOL item banks and review the included construct, ...

Study examined the relationship between pain severity and mobility among patients who have sustained a traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). A multi-center, cross-sectional study was performed to assess the impact of mobility on self-reported pain using information from 1,980 subjects who sustained a traumatic SCI and completed a year-one ...

Study assessed the association between characteristics of the built environment and differences in perceived health among individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). A secondary analysis was conducted of data collected from 503 people with chronic SCI enrolled in the Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems database. All cases were residents ...

Study identified aspects of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) that are relevant to caregivers of individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and developed an integrated conceptual framework based on this information. Nine focus groups were conducted with 55 caregivers of individuals with moderate-to-severe TBI to explore the effect that caring ...

Study examined the reliability and validity of the Capabilities of Upper Extremity Test (CUE-T), a measure of functional limitations in the arm and hand, in patients with chronic tetraplegia. Data were obtained from 50 subjects (36 male/14 female) with chronic stable spinal cord injury (SCI). Test-retest reliability was examined ...

Article addresses important issues for preserving function and mobility for elderly and aging individuals who use a manual wheelchair by reviewing the current available evidence and presenting recommendations. Elderly and aging manual wheelchair users have increased risk for accelerated loss of function and mobility that greatly limits independence and ...

Study assessed the prevalence of cigarette smoking at the time of spinal cord injury (SCI) onset compared to that of the general population in the same geographic area, and identified demographic, injury, behavioral, and psychological characteristics associated with cigarette smoking. Self-report assessments were completed by 524 patients during inpatient ...

Study identified factors associated with health-care utilization during the first year after inpatient rehabilitation (IR) in individuals with traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). One hundred sixty-eight patients were followed over 1 year after discharge from an SCI Model System IR program. Telephone follow-up occurred at 3, 6, 9, and ...

Study examined whether transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) reduces both acute pain perception and the resultant cardiovascular responses and if it impacts basal hemodynamics. Data were acquired on 15 healthy subjects at rest and in response to three cold pressor tests: 0, 7, and 14 degrees centigrade. Subsequently, single ...

Humans shape their hands to grasp, manipulate objects, and to communicate. Nonhuman primate studies have shown that visual and motor properties for grasps can be derived from cells in the posterior parietal cortex (PPC). This study showed for the first time how single neurons in the PPC of humans ...

Study investigated the relationships of hand contact angle with propulsion characteristics, pushrim forces, and shoulder kinetics during wheelchair propulsion (WCP) in individuals with paraplegia from spinal cord injury (SCI). Biomechanical data were collected from 222 individuals with paraplegia during WCP on a stationary ergometer at a self-selected speed. Multivariate ...

Study tested the a priori hypothesis that amantadine reduces irritability (primary hypothesis) and aggression (secondary hypothesis) among individuals with chronic traumatic brain injury (TBI). A total of 76 individuals greater than 6 months post-TBI were randomly assigned to receive 100 milligrams of amantadine hydrochloride twice a day or an equivalent ...

Study examined the implicit racial bias among physicians caring for individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) and its association with functioning and wellbeing for individuals with SCI. Data were collected from 162 individuals with SCI and 14 of their SCI physicians from 4 national SCI Model Systems sites. SCI ...

Article describes the development and psychometric characteristics of the Spinal Cord Injury – Quality of Life (SCI-QOL) Bowel Management Difficulties and Bladder Management Difficulties item banks, and a short scale to measure bladder complications. Using a mixed-methods design, a pool of items assessing bladder and bowel-related concerns were developed using ...

Article describes the development and psychometric properties of the Spinal Cord Injury-Quality of Life (SCI-QOL) Ability to Participate in Social Roles and Activities and Satisfaction with Social Roles and Activities item banks and short forms. Focus groups helped define the constructs; cognitive interviews helped revise items; and confirmatory factor ...