SCI Publications

Study assessed the association between characteristics of the built environment and differences in perceived health among individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). A secondary analysis was conducted of data collected from 503 people with chronic SCI enrolled in the Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems database. All cases were residents ...

Article describes the development and psychometric properties of the Spinal Cord Injury – Quality of Life (SCI-QOL) Psychological Trauma item bank and short form. Using a mixed-methods design, a Psychological Trauma item bank was developed and tested with patient and provider focus groups and cognitive interviews. A 31-item pool ...

Objective: To investigate the reliability of ultrasonographic measurement of acromiohumeral distance (AHD) and the effects of shoulder positioning on AHD among manual wheelchair users (MWUs) with spinal cord injury (SCI) and an able-bodied control group. Methods: Ten MWUs with SCI and 10 able-bodied subjects participated in this study. The ...

Article describes the development and psychometric characteristics of the Spinal Cord Injury – Quality of Life (SCI-QOL) Pressure Ulcers scale, a self-reported measure of the impact of pressure ulcers on health-related quality of life in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). Grounded-theory based qualitative item development methods, large-scale item ...

Study determined the location of cortical activation during a visual illusion walking paradigm, a recently proposed treatment for spinal cord injury (SCI)-related neuropathic pain, in people with SCI compared with able-bodied controls. Three people with paraplegia and 5 able-bodied participants were included in this study. The walking stimuli consisted ...

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 ...

Article describes the development and psychometric properties of the Spinal Cord Injury – Quality of Life (SCI-QOL) Grief and Loss item bank and short form. A literature review guided framework development of grief/loss. New items were created from focus groups. Items were revised based on expert review and patient ...

Article describes the background and development of the Spinal Cord Injury -- Quality of Life (SCI-QOL) measurement system, a spinal cord injury (SCI)-specific, patient-reported outcome measure of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) covering physical, emotional, and social domains of functioning. The SCI-QOL was developed using item response theory (IRT) ...

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 estimated bladder cancer mortality in people with spinal cord injury (SCI) compared to the general population. Data and statistics were obtained from the National SCI Statistical Center and the National Center for Health Statistics. The mortality experience of the 45,486 patients with traumatic SCI treated at a SCI ...

Article describes the development and psychometric characteristics of the Spinal Cord Injury – Quality of Life (SCI-QOL) Anxiety item bank. Grounded-theory based qualitative item development methods were used to develop a calibrated item bank and computer adaptive test (CAT) to assess anxiety symptoms in individuals with spinal cord injury ...

Study compared outcomes and patterns of engaging with a telehealth intervention (CareCall) by adult wheelchair users with severe mobility limitations. A secondary analysis was conducted of data from a pilot randomized controlled trial with 106 participants with spinal cord injury (SCI) and 36 participants with multiple sclerosis (MS). General ...

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 ...

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 examined the reliability and validity of the Capabilities of Upper Extremity Test (CUE-T), a measure of functional limitations in the arm and hand, in patients with chronic tetraplegia. Data were obtained from 50 subjects (36 male/14 female) with chronic stable spinal cord injury (SCI). Test-retest reliability was examined ...

Study developed and evaluated functional ability levels for the Spinal Cord Injury Functional Index (SCI-FI) using calibration and reliability samples. The SCI-FI measures activity limitations in 5 domains: basic mobility, ambulation, wheelchair mobility, self-care, and fine motor function. SCI-FI data were obtained from 1,124 adults with traumatic spinal cord ...

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 provides a worksheet to help people with spinal cord injury identify challenges they face when trying to prevent pressure ulcers and work with their health care providers to address those challenges. Instructions and links to more information about preventing pressure ulcers are also included. ...

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 ...