SCI Publications

Chapter provides teachers with explicit instructions and examples for working with students with low-incidence disabilities, including mental retardation, autism spectrum disorders, sensory impairment, and significant orthopedic and other health impairments. The text describes the basic characteristics associated with each type of disability, presents instructional techniques and other strategies to ...

Article describes the effects of cold-weather temperatures on the body temperatures of people with spinal cord injury (SCI). Generally, after SCI, body temperature had a tendency to take on the temperature of the environment. Author offers advice for how to keep warm.

Commentary reports the results of a survey investigating the frequency of total testosterone screening conducted for men with spinal cord injury (SCI) during inpatient rehabilitation at 16 model SCI systems. Results revealed that 1 of the model systems conducted total testosterone screenings on all men with SCI at admission. ...

Article examines various factors that affect the design, analysis, and interpretation research on aging with spinal cord injury (SCI). These include factors that apply to aging in the general population, such as the effects of chronological age and the effects associated with the historical period in which the research ...

Study compared outcomes between pushrim-activated power-assisted wheelchair (PAPAW) and traditional manual wheelchair propulsion among subjects with tetraplegia. Participants propelled both their own manual wheelchairs and a PAPAW through slight, moderate, and high resistances on a wheelchair dynamometer. Primary variables that were compared between the 2 trials were participants' mean ...

Article describes elements of the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act, legislation drafted by the Social Security Administration to reduce financial disincentives to return to work for recipients of Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance. The legislation created 3 new entities: (1) the Ticket to ...

Article discusses the etiology, prevention, and clinical management of heterotopic ossification (HO) after spinal cord injury (SCI). Although the cause of HO after SCI remains unknown, trauma and overexpression of bone morphogenic proteins in traumatized soft tissue appear to play important roles. Preventive use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) ...

Article discusses the societal aspects of disability in older adults. It focuses ethics related to competency, elder abuse, sexuality, community integration, work, leisure skills, and the issue of driving a motor vehicle. This article is part of the study guide on geriatric rehabilitation in the Self-Directed Physiatric Education program ...

Presents psychometric data on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), a measure used to identify major depressive disorder (MDD) in people with spinal cord injury (SCI). Data collected from 849 participants 1 year after SCI were used to compute descriptive statistics on rates of depressive symptoms and probable MDD, evaluate ...

Study investigated whether a history of alcohol-related problems is associated with progress during inpatient rehabilitation among people with spinal cord injury (SCI). Analysis revealed that problem drinkers had significantly lower Functional Independence Measure admission, discharge, and efficiency scores and a longer rehabilitation length of stay than those without a ...

Study analyzed median and ulnar nerve function and their relationship with the range of motion (ROM) of the wrist during wheelchair propulsion. The kinematic data of 35 manual wheelchair users with spinal cord injury were analyzed. Subjects also underwent bilateral nerve conduction studies to determine if nerve function was ...

Continuous sitting and standing tolerance was measured by: (1) covert observation of 154 patients with chronic back pain and (2) blinded expert physician prediction based on complete history and physical examination. One hundred twenty-four of the 154 patients (80.5 percent) were able to sit continuously for 60 minutes or ...

Article briefly discusses research on environmental factors that act as barriers in the daily lives of people with spinal cord injuries (SCI). In a survey of more than 2,700 people with SCI, about 20 percent said none of the 12 environmental factors they were asked about were barriers to ...

Article discusses the value of service dogs as assistants to people with mobility limitations. Author offers advice on determining the need for, selecting, and caring for a service animal.

Study examined gender and minority differences in the prevalence and severity of pain in people with spinal cord injury (SCI) as reported in follow-up surveys. Pain prevalence ranged from 81 percent at 1 year post injury to 82.7 percent at 25 years. Pain prevalence was significantly lower among non-whites, ...

Data from 8,668 people with spinal cord injury (SCI) were analyzed to determine the frequency and reasons for rehospitalizations reported during the 1st, 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th follow-up years. Study also examined the association between rehospitalization and demographics, neurologic category, payer sources, length of stay, discharge functional status, ...

Study documented the impact of age, age at injury, years postinjury, and injury severity on changes over time in selected physical and psychosocial outcomes of people aging with spinal cord injury. Data was collected from the National Spinal Cord Injury Database. Outcomes of interest at 5, 10, 15, 20, ...

Survey investigated wheelchair and related factors that affect the participation of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) in daily activities performed in the home, community, and during transportation. Subjects were asked 5 questions within each setting related to their perceived reason for functional limitations. Results revealed that the wheelchair ...

Twenty-four individuals who were employed by consumers as paid personal assistants were interviewed by telephone regarding training and supervision issues, their relationship with the consumer, and their level of job satisfaction. Participants reported being well trained and competent and nearly 62 percent reported receiving very little or no supervision, ...

Article describes study conducted to determine the bone mineral density (BMD) of the legs, arms, and trunk region of a group of adults with spinal cord injury (SCI) and to determine the relationship between regional BMD values and the time since injury. BMD measurements were determined by total-body, dual-energy ...