SCI Publications

Despite improved surgical techniques and postoperative management protocols for tetraplegic patients undergoing upper extremity functional reconstruction, recent studies have shown that these procedures are profoundly underutilized in the United States. The complex disabilities of tetraplegic patients limit their ability to independently obtain treatment information and travel to medical destinations ...

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: The end goal of clinical care and clinical research involving spinal cord injury (SCI) is to improve the overall ability of persons living with SCI to function on a daily basis. Neurologic recovery does not always translate into functional recovery. Thus, sensitive outcome measures designed to assess functional ...

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There is an overwhelming need for wheelchairs and the research and development required to make them safer, more effective, and widely available. The following areas are of particular importance: practitioner credentials, accreditation, device evaluation, device user training, patient education, clinical prescribing criteria, national contracts, and access to new technology. ...

OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate the prospective construct validity of the walking index for spinal cord injury (WISCI) in US/European clinical population. DESIGN: Prospective Cohort in Denmark, Germany, Italy and the USA. PARTICIPANTS/METHOD: Participants with acute complete/incomplete (ASIA Impairment Scale (AIS) A, B, C and D) traumatic spinal cord injuries were ...

STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional and longitudinal direct observation of a constrained consensus-building process in nine consumer panels and three rehabilitation professional panels. OBJECTIVES: To illustrate differences among consumer and clinician preferences for the restoration of walking function based on severity of injury, time of injury and age of the individual. ...

The purpose of this article is to provide a review of mobility devices available for the rehabilitation of individuals with (spinal cord injury) SCI. The technologies that improve mobility and potentially enhance community participation that will be discussed include those devices that are used to improve ambulation, wheeled mobility, ...

OBJECTIVES: To present a descriptive analysis and comparison of shoulder kinetics and kinematics during wheelchair propulsion at multiple speeds (self-selected and steady-state target speeds) for a large group of manual wheelchair users with paraplegia while also investigating the effect of pain and subject demographics on propulsion. DESIGN: Case series. ...

OBJECTIVE: To determine the reliability and repeatability of the motor and sensory examination of the International Standards for Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) in trained examiners. PARTICIPANTS/METHODS: Sixteen examiners (8 physicians, 8 physical therapists) with clinical SCI experience and 16 patients participated in a reliability study in preparation ...

Breaking the bad news in terms of prognosis for significant motor recovery following a neurologically complete spinal cord injury (SCI) is one of the most difficult tasks for the spinal cord medicine specialist. Learning the skills to facilitate this communication is extremely important to better assist patients to understand ...

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Repair of the injured spinal cord by regeneration therapy remains an elusive goal. In contrast, progress in medical care and rehabilitation has resulted in improved health and function of persons with spinal cord injury (SCI). In the absence of a cure, raising the level of achievable function in mobility ...

The authors identified perceived barriers to employment in 1998 among 343 unemployed participants with spinal cord injury and correlated these data with employment status 5 years later. Actively looking for work was associated with the greatest likelihood of employment. Health factors, not disincentives or resources, were the primary barriers ...

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During a time of intense interest in neural recovery, there is strong emphasis on quantification of clinical outcomes. To promote responsible outcome measurement, a review of commonly used ambulation assessments was conducted, with an emphasis on application to the population with spinal cord injury (SCI). Each ambulation/walking assessment tool ...

Objective: To determine whether computer and internet use by persons post spinal cord injury (SCI) is sufficiently prevalent and broad-based to consider using this technology as a long-term treatment modality for patients who have sustained SCI. Design: A multicenter cohort study. Setting: Twenty-six past and current U.S. regional Model ...

Background: At the 2006 National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) sponsored pre-conference on spinal cord injury (SCI) outcomes, several gait and ambulation measures were evaluated for utility in clinical practice, validity, and reliability as research measurement tools. The Conference Subcommittee on Gait and Ambulation chose to review ...

Background/Objective: To evaluate which tests best predict the ability of patients with ventilatordependent tetraplegia to wean from the ventilator. Methods: Retrospective review of patients. Participants: Twenty-six ventilator-dependent patients with tetraplegia admitted to a university inpatient spinal cord–injury rehabilitation unit with American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) injury levels C2 to ...

PURPOSE: This article describes the use of the World Health Organization's (WHO) International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) as a conceptual framework for processing and analyzing the narratives of 50 community-dwelling women with a spinal cord injury. The women were participants in a federally-funded study of stress ...