SCI Publications

Study investigated whether fatigue-inducing wheelchair propulsion changes neuromuscular activation and propulsion biomechanics and identified variables predicting susceptibility to fatigue. Muscular activation and propulsion biomechanics during treadmill propulsion at 25W and 45W were assessed before and after a protocol designed to cause fatigue in 34 wheelchair users with a spinal cord ...

Study examined clinical algorithms relevant for diagnosis and treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI)-associated pneumonia (SCI-AP) in Germany. The clinical decision-making on SCI-AP and the utility of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) criteria for diagnosis of ‘clinically defined pneumonia’ were assessed using a standardized questionnaire including eight ...

Article provides an overview of the risks and health hazards of the cardiometabolic syndrome (CMS) that are commonly reported in people with spinal cord injuries (SCI) and disorders. Overweight/obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension, and dyslipidemia are highly prevalent after SCI. Early surveillance of cardiometabolic risks should be undertaken to identify and ...

Study estimated the budget impact of adding robotic exoskeleton over-ground training to existing locomotor training strategies in the rehabilitation of people with spinal cord injury (SCI). A budget impact analysis (BIA) was conducted using data provided by four SCI Model Systems rehabilitation hospitals. Hospitals provided estimates of therapy utilization and ...

Study examined whether commonly used comorbidity indexes capture comorbidities in the acute traumatic and nontraumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) inpatient rehabilitation population. Data were obtained from the Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation for 66,235 adults with SCI discharged from 833 inpatient rehabilitation facilities. International Classification of Diseases-10th Revision-Clinical Modifications ...

Article describes two sacral reflexes used in the clinical evaluation of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). The examination of sacral reflexes provides an important method to differentiate an upper motor neuron versus lower motor neuron SCI. Two common sacral mediated reflexes used as part of the neurological assessment include ...

Study investigated whether the “sacral sparing” definition for completeness of traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) is a more stable definition than the previously used Frankel Classification. A retrospective analysis was conducted of 804 individuals with traumatic SCI who were enrolled in the SCI Model Systems database between 2011 and 2018. ...

Background: Linking records from the National Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems (SCIMS) database to the National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB) provides a unique opportunity to study early variables in predicting long-term outcomes after traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). The public use data sets of SCIMS and NTDB are stripped of ...

Objectives: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Transfer Assessment Instrument Questionnaire (TAI-Q), a self-assessment measure to evaluate transfer quality compared with clinician-reported measures. Design: Participants self-assessed transfers from their wheelchair to a mat table using the TAI-Q. For session 1, participants self-assessed their transfer both before and after reviewing a ...

Objective: The aims of this study were to replicate findings that a home exercise program intervention improved shoulder pain and function and to assess changes in supraspinatus tendon pathology associated with the home exercise program in persons with chronic spinal cord injury. Design: The study is a single-blind randomized controlled trial. ...

Study design: Randomized double blind, placebo-controlled trial. Objectives: To examine the effect of early intravenous zoledronic acid (ZA) on bone markers and areal bone mineral density (aBMD) in persons with acute ASIA Impairment Scale (AIS) A traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). Setting: Two inpatient rehabilitation units. Methods: Thirteen men, ...

Context/Objective: The sacral examination components of the International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI), namely deep anal pressure (DAP) and voluntary anal sphincter contraction (VAC), are often difficult to perform. We evaluated whether pressure sensation at the S3 dermatome (S3P), and voluntary hip adductor or toe ...

Objective: To determine if the motor response on the stimulated manual muscle test (SMMT) in muscles with a grade 0 motor score on the manual muscle test (MMT) can differentiate lower motor neuron (LMN) from upper motor neuron (UMN) injury based on the presence of spontaneous activity (SA) with needle ...

Objective: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Spinal Cord Injury Spasticity Evaluation Tool (SCI-SET) and Patient-Reported Impact of Spasticity Measure (PRISM) using Rasch analysis to optimize their validity and efficiency. Design: Rasch analysis of the SCI-SET and PRISM represents a secondary analysis of data collected as part of a collaborative ...

Purpose: Investigate the type and frequency of wheelchair repairs and resulting adverse consequences in a Veteran population. Design: Convenience cross-sectional sample survey. Setting: Data were collected at the 2017 National Veterans Wheelchair Games. Participants: Veterans who use a wheelchair ≥ 40 h/wk (n = 60). Intervention: Not applicable. Main outcome measures: Repairs and associated adverse ...

Objective: To determine if the "sacral sparing" definition for completeness of traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) is a more stable definition than the previously used Frankel Classification. Design: Retrospective analysis of persons enrolled in the Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems (SCIMS) database from 2011-2018. Setting: SCIMS centers. Participants: Individuals ...

Background: We know little about the budget impact of integrating robotic exoskeleton over-ground training into therapy services for locomotor training. The purpose of this study was to estimate the budget impact of adding robotic exoskeleton over-ground training to existing locomotor training strategies in the rehabilitation of people with spinal ...

Article presents the protocol for a study to investigate whether an 8-week low-carbohydrate/high-protein (LC/HP) dietary intervention will show improvements in metabolic function, body composition, the composition of gut bacteria, and quality of life in people with spinal cord injury (SCI). One hundred participants with chronic traumatic SCI (3 years postinjury, ...

Study explored changing healthcare needs of individuals aging with spinal cord injury (SCI) and their caregivers and identified the environmental supports and barriers to achieving long-term health and treatment outcomes. Inclusion criteria were age greater than 60 years old and 5 years post SCI. Between October 2014 and January 2016, ...

Study evaluated the efficacy of a replicable cognitive behavioral therapy-based intervention for improving self-efficacy after spinal cord injury (SCI). The intervention, Re-Inventing Yourself after SCI, is a replicable, manualized, educationally based group treatment program. Eighty-one individuals with SCI who were at least 4 weeks post-discharge from initial rehabilitation were randomly ...