SCI Publications

Objective: To test the hypotheses that remote training improves trainer confidence and when these trainers train others the capacity and confidence of the trainees improves. Design: Cohort study with pre- vs posttraining comparisons. Setting: Four spinal cord injury model systems centers. Participants: Convenience sample of 7 clinician trainers and 19 able-bodied trainees (N=26). Interventions: ...

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of group wheelchair maintenance training and investigate participant characteristics associated with responsiveness to training. Design: Randomized controlled trial with an immediate group and a waitlist control group (WLCG) who received the intervention after a 6-month delay. Setting: Four Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems Centers. Participants: Manual (MWC; n=80) ...

Objective: To investigate the frequency and consequences of wheelchair repairs, looking at the relationship to usage, components, out-of-pocket costs, number of days affecting the user, and factors associated with the need for repairs or consequences. Design: Survey, cross-sectional. Setting: Nine spinal cord injury (SCI) Model Systems centers. Participants: Wheelchair users with SCI (N=533). Interventions: ...

Objective: To explore participants' experiences after implantation of a diaphragmatic pacing system (DPS). Design: Cross-sectional, observational study using self-report questionnaires. Setting: Participants were recruited from 6 Spinal Cord Injury Model System centers across the United States (Craig Hospital, CO; Jefferson/Magee Rehabilitation Hospital, PA; Kessler Rehabilitation Center, NJ; University of Miami, FL; The ...

Objective: To characterize the qualities that individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) associate with their experience of spasticity and to describe the relationship between spasticity and perceived quality of life and the perceived value of spasticity management approaches. Design: Online cross-sectional survey. Setting: Multicenter collaboration among 6 Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems ...

Objective: To characterize the use of complementary and integrative health care (CIH) by people with spinal cord injury. Design: Cross-sectional self-report study. Setting: Participants were recruited from 5 Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems (SCIMS) centers across the United States. Interventions: Not applicable. Participants: A total of 411 persons enrolled in the SCIMS completing their ...

Objective: To evaluate whether pain interference mediates the relationship between pain intensity and probable major depression (PMD) among persons with spinal cord injury (SCI), accounting for differences in the frequency of prescription medication use and resilience.Design: Cross-sectional analysis using self-report assessment.Setting: Medical university in the Southeastern United States.Participants: There were ...

Objective: To identify microRNA biomarkers and clinical factors associated with neuropathic pain after spinal cord injury.Design: Cross-sectional, secondary analysis of baseline data collected from ongoing clinical studies. Using a genome-wide microRNA screening approach, we studied differential microRNA expression in serum from 43 adults with spinal cord injury enrolled in ongoing ...

Objective: To compare prevalence, intensity ratings, and interference ratings of neuropathic pain (NeuP) and nociceptive pain in people with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: Six SCI Model System centers in the United States. Participants: Convenience sample of 391 individuals (N=391) with traumatic SCI, 18 years or older, 81% ...

Objective: To identify the self-reported frequency of emergency department (ED) visits, ED-related hospitalizations, and reasons for ED visits among people with traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) and compare them with general population data from the same geographic area. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: A specialty hospital in the Southeastern United States. Participants: The participants (N=648) ...

Objective: To examine the association between body mass index (BMI [calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared]) and mortality after the first year post spinal cord injury (SCI) overall and across demographic and injury characteristics. Design: Cohort study. Setting: Sixteen Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems (SCIMS) centers. Participants: SCIMS ...

Objective: To compare the gut microbiome composition and serum metabolome profile among individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) and normal glucose tolerance (NGT) or prediabetes/type 2 diabetes (preDM/T2D). Design: Cross-sectional design. Setting: Research university. Participants: A total of 25 adults (N=25) with SCI were included in the analysis and categorized as NGT (n=16) ...

Objectives: To (1) describe the prevalence of cardiometabolic disease (CMD) at spinal cord injury (SCI) rehabilitation discharge; (2) compare this with controls without SCI; and (3) identify factors associated with increased CMD. Design: Multicenter, prospective observational study. Setting: Five National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research Model SCI Rehabilitation Centers. Participants: ...

Objective: To estimate Spinal Cord Injury Functional Index Assistive Technology (SCI-FI/AT) scores from FIM motor items. Design: Secondary data analysis. Setting: Fourteen Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems (SCIMS) programs. Participants: Persons with traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) discharged from inpatient rehabilitation at 14 SCIMS programs (N=1237). Interventions: Not applicable. Main outcome measures: FIM motor items ...

Objective: To determine if functional measures of ambulation can be accurately classified using clinical measures; demographics; personal, psychosocial, and environmental factors; and limb accelerations (LAs) obtained during sleep among individuals with chronic, motor incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI) in an effort to guide future, longitudinal predictions models. Design: Cross-sectional, 1-5 days ...

Objective: To characterize individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI) who use outpatient physical therapy or community wellness services for locomotor training and predict the duration of services, controlling for demographic, injury, quality of life, and service and financial characteristics. We explore how the duration of services is related to locomotor ...

Objective: To examine the modifying effect of body mass index (BMI) on the association between rehabilitation length of stay (LOS), severity of injury, and motor FIM (mFIM) improvement in patients with traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI). Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: Seventeen SCI Model Systems (SCIMS) centers in the United States. Participants: A ...

Objective: To determine the differences in neurologic recovery in persons with initial cervical American Spinal Cord Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) grades A and B over time. Design: Retrospective analysis of data from people with traumatic cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) enrolled in the National Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems (SCIMS) ...

Objective: To investigate whether initial emergency department physiological measures and metrics of trauma severity predict functional outcomes and neurologic recovery in traumatic spinal cord injury. Design: Retrospective analysis of a clinical database. Setting: Merged multicenter data from the Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems (SCIMS) database and National Trauma Data Bank from 6 ...

Objective: To identify trends in causes of death after spinal cord injury (SCI) that could enhance understanding of why life expectancy after SCI has not improved in the last 3 decades. Design: Cohort study. Setting: Twenty-nine SCI Model Systems and 3 Shriners Hospitals. Participants: Individuals with traumatic SCI (N=49,266) enrolled in the SCI ...