SCI Publications

Study assessed aerobic capacity during hybrid functional electrical stimulation (FES) row training in 14 volunteers with complete spinal cord injury (SCI) and assessed the relationships among lesion level, aerobic capacity, and peak ventilation before and after 6 months of FES row training. Peak aerobic capacity and peak exercise ventilation ...

Study examined the characteristics and short-term functional outcomes of the pediatric burn inpatient rehabilitation population using data from the Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation database between 2002 and 2011. Demographic, medical, and functional data were evaluated for children younger than 18 years at time of admission to inpatient rehabilitation ...

Study identified patient and clinical factors associated with the development of a stage 2 or higher pressure ulcer (PU) during spinal cord injury (SCI) rehabilitation. The 159 study patients, including 60 with new spinal injuries and 90 with earlier spinal injuries had identical rates at which they acquired a ...

Study monitored wheelchair cushion performance over time in order to identify the most important factors that predict cushion degradation. Cushions were obtained from a convenience sample of adult wheelchair users seen by the seating clinic at a rehabilitation hospital. The wheelchair users and their cushions were evaluated multiple times. ...

Study investigated the extent to which manually assisted locomotor training (LT) with body weight supported treadmill stepping can change respiratory function in individuals with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI). Surface electromyographic (sEMG) measures of respiratory muscles activity during respiratory tasks were obtained from 8 individuals with chronic SCI before ...

Study investigated the molecular signaling pathways and mechanisms by which autoimmunity is induced after spinal cord injury (SCI), with the goal of identifying potential targets in therapies designed to reduce tissue damage and inflammation in the chronic phase of SCI. To that end, an exploratory microarray analysis of peripheral ...

Study examined the relationship between participation in organized sports programs and employment in 149 adults with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI). Motor level and completeness of injury were confirmed by physical examination. Information related to demographics, employment, level of education, body mass index, duration of injury, participation in individually ...

Study evaluated three sets of risk and protective factors in relation to mortality after spinal cord injury (SCI): basic demographic and injury severity variables, socio-environmental factors, and health and secondary conditions. Assessment of these variables enhances the ability to identify individuals at risk for excess mortality. A total of ...

Study analyzed the specific causes of spinal cord injury (SCI) by age, sex, race, ethnicity, day and month of injury, and neurologic outcomes, using data from the National SCI Database and the National Shriners SCI Database. A total of 7,834 participants who had a traumatic SCI from 2005 to ...

Study design:Single-blind randomized controlled trial of 6 months' duration.Objectives:To evaluate the efficacy of a novel telehealth intervention, 'CareCall', on reducing pressure ulcers and depression and enhancing the use of appropriate health care.Setting:General community, Massachusetts and Connecticut, United StatesMethods:'CareCall' is an automated, interactive voice response system that combines patient education, ...

This article, based on the keynote address at the 5th National Spinal Cord Injury Conference in Toronto, addresses methods to neurophysiologically characterize patients after spinal cord injury and proposes how those methods could be used to individualize therapeutic interventions and monitor their efficacy over the course of neurorehabilitation. ...

Study examined the effects of the type and quantity of physical therapy (PT) interventions delivered during inpatient spinal cord injury (SCI) rehabilitation and patient characteristics on outcomes at the time of discharge and at 1 year post-injury. Physical therapists delivering routine care documented details of PT interventions provided. Regression ...

Study investigated the role of area economic characteristics in predicting employment using in adults with spinal cord injury (SCI). Geographically coded data were collected from two of the 14 SCI Model Systems centers and used to link individual-level data with area-level measures extracted from the 2000 United States Census. ...

Article describes the calibration of the Spinal Cord Injury-Functional Index (SCI-FI) and reports on the initial psychometric evaluation of the SCI-FI scales in each content domain. SCI-FI instrument data were obtained from 855 participants with traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) recruited from 6 SCI Model Systems and stratified by ...

Article describes the development and evaluation of the Spinal Cord Injury-Functional Index (SCI-FI), a new measurement system of physical functioning for people with spinal cord injury (SCI). Specifically, the goals of the study were to develop a comprehensive set of items that assess multiple aspects of physical functioning relevant ...

STUDY DESIGN: Literature review. OBJECTIVES: Utilizing individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) as a representative population for physical disability, this paper: (1) reviews the history of the concept of secondary conditions as it applies to the health of individuals aging with long-term disabilities; (2) proposes a definition of secondary health ...

OBJECTIVES: To describe the calibration of the Spinal Cord Injury-Functional Index (SCI-FI) and report on the initial psychometric evaluation of the SCI-FI scales in each content domain. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey followed by calibration data simulations. SETTING: Inpatient and community settings. PARTICIPANTS: A sample of participants (N=855) with traumatic spinal ...

Article reviews the literature on methods for the restoration of the neuromuscular lower-limb functions. One consequence of central nervous system injury or disease is the impairment of neural control of movement, resulting in spasticity and paralysis. To enhance recovery, restorative neurology procedures modify altered, yet preserved nervous system function. ...