SCI Publications

Article reviews the biological and structural changes that are known to occur in bone after spinal cord injury (SCI) in the context of promoting future research to prevent or reduce risk of fracture in this population. The authors also review the most commonly used methods for assessing bone after ...

Study examined the effects of mental imagery-induced attention on pressure pain threshold and cortical plasticity using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Mental imagery is the process of envisioning specific physical or cognitive activities or perceptual experiences with the intention of altering the facilitation of neuronal networks. This blinded, randomized, and ...

Study determined how individual manual wheelchair users with paraplegia modify propulsion mechanics to accommodate expected increases in reaction forces (RFs) generated at the pushrim with self-selected increases in wheelchair propulsion (WCP) speed. Repetitive loading of the upper-limb joints during manual WCP has been identified as a factor that contributes ...

Study examined muscle activation during single and repeated isometric, concentric, and eccentric knee extensor (KE) maximal voluntary contractions (MVCs) to better understand volitional force generation after chronic incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI). Torque and electromyographic (EMG) activity were recorded during single and repeated isometric and dynamic KE MVCs in ...

This study aimed to identify the most effective neural markers of neuropathic pain following spinal cord injury (SCI). A systematic PubMed review was conducted, compiling studies that were published prior to April, 2014 that examined neural markers associated with neuropathic pain after SCI using electrophysiological and neuroimaging techniques. Six ...

Study examined whether and how the associations among six hand-specific outcome measures reveal latent functional domains in elderly individuals. Sixty-six healthy older adult participants and 33 older adults diagnosed with osteoarthritis (OA) of the carpometacarpal (CMC) joint completed six functional assessments: hand strength (grip, key, and precision pinch), Box ...

Study examined the relationship between pain severity and mobility among patients who have sustained a traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). A multi-center, cross-sectional study was performed to assess the impact of mobility on self-reported pain using information from 1,980 subjects who sustained a traumatic SCI and completed a year-one ...

Study assessed the prevalence of cigarette smoking at the time of spinal cord injury (SCI) onset compared to that of the general population in the same geographic area, and identified demographic, injury, behavioral, and psychological characteristics associated with cigarette smoking. Self-report assessments were completed by 524 patients during inpatient ...

Study investigated the relationships of hand contact angle with propulsion characteristics, pushrim forces, and shoulder kinetics during wheelchair propulsion (WCP) in individuals with paraplegia from spinal cord injury (SCI). Biomechanical data were collected from 222 individuals with paraplegia during WCP on a stationary ergometer at a self-selected speed. Multivariate ...

Article reviews cross-cultural issues related to the conceptualization of quality of life (QOL) in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). The World Health Organization’s International Classification of Function, Disability and Health is used in this article as a framework to better understand factors that may influence QOL after SCI. ...

Article discusses the hospital-wide changes implemented to eliminate opioid overuse and reduce polypharmacy in spinal cord injury (SCI) inpatients at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center (RLANRC). An interdisciplinary ad hoc committee of clinicians was assembled to ensure the safety of patients, educate patients and providers to the danger ...

Study assessed sacral interface pressure and sensing area in healthy volunteers on a spine board and the effects of a gel pressure dispersion liner. Sacral pressure ulcers are a significant problem following spinal cord injury and are felt to be in part due to the high interface pressures generated ...

Article describes the main conceptual frameworks that have been used in analyzing disparities in healthcare access and quality and evaluates those frameworks in the context of healthcare for individuals with disabilities. The specific models examined include: the Aday and Anderson Model, the Grossman Utility Model, the Institute of Medicine ...

Study examined the level of severity and impact on quality of life of bowel dysfunction in people with neurogenic bladder, identified patient variables that correlate with worse bowel symptoms, and investigated whether the severity of bowel dysfunction correlates with the severity of bladder dysfunction. Of the 175 patients evaluated, ...

Study examined whether transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) reduces both acute pain perception and the resultant cardiovascular responses and if it impacts basal hemodynamics. Data were acquired on 15 healthy subjects at rest and in response to three cold pressor tests: 0, 7, and 14 degrees centigrade. Subsequently, single ...

Study assessed trends in national incidence, etiology, health care utilization, and in-hospital mortality in acute traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) from 1993 to 2012. Data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample databases for the years 1993 through 2012, including a total of 63,109 patients with acute traumatic SCI were analyzed. ...

Study surveyed people with spinal cord injury (SCI) to determine their priorities for brain-computer interface (BCI) applications and design features along with the time investment and risk acceptable to obtain a BCI. Forty people with SCI participated, including of 30 individuals identified from the SCI research registry who were ...

Study investigated the efficacy of zoledronic acid to prevent sublesional bone mineral density (BMD) loss at 6 and 12 months after acute spinal cord injury (SCI). Thirteen subjects with acute motor-complete SCI were prospectively studied: 6 patients received zoledronic acid (5 mg) and 7 subjects did not receive the ...

Article describes the development of a comprehensive set of common data elements (CDEs), data definitions, case report forms, and guidelines for use in spinal cord injury (SCI) clinical research. As part of the CDE project at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), nine working groups composed ...

Study examined the prevalence of pregnancy and associations with sociodemographic and clinical factors among women with spinal cord injury (SCI) enrolled in the United States (US) National SCI Database (NSCID). The NSCID collects data from patients receiving services at SCI Model Systems centers at years 1 and 5 and ...