Our featured video and brief video clips share information about managing bowel function after sustaining a spinal cord injury. In this video, SCI Model Systems Researchers share how they helped individuals with SCI develop a bowel program.
Pain is a serious problem for many people with spinal cord injuries (SCI). Pain after SCI can occur in parts of the body where there is normal sensation (feeling) as well as areas that have little or no feeling.
Transferring in and out of your wheelchair puts higher stress on your arms and shoulders than anything else you do on a regular basis. Learning the correct way to transfer is extremely important in order to keep your arms functioning and pain-free.
Most people with spinal cord injuries (SCI) want to work yet need support, training and vocational rehabilitation services to help them obtain and keep a job. These sources of support may help to overcome many barriers that are outside the individual’s control, such as financial and health care issues, accessibility, ...
Spasticity is the uncontrolled tightening or contracting of the muscles that is common in individuals with spinal cord injuries. About 65%–78% of the SCI population have some amount of spasticity, and it is more common in cervical (neck) than thoracic (chest) and lumbar (lower back) injuries.
Difficulty walking is very common following a spinal cord injury (SCI). People with SCI may have gait training included in their therapy plans. Gait training is practicing walking with assistive devices, braces and other types of support as needed.
What you need to know?
Your spinal cord injury (SCI) might limit your ability to control your urine. You might not be able to stop urine from flowing, or you might not be able to release it.
Uncontrolled urination or inability to empty your bladder can have a negative effect on your ...
What you need to know?
Your ability to control urine release may be limited because of injury. You may not be able to stop urine from flowing out of your body, or you may not be able to release urine from your body.
The inability to control the release of urine is ...
What you need to know?
You may be able to continue driving safely again, depending on how serious your injury is and how much function you have regained.
If you can drive, you may need to buy a vehicle that suits your unique needs after the injury.
Vehicles can be altered with special ...
What is sexuality?
Your sexuality is what guides your natural desire to bond with others through love, affection, and intimacy. Here are a few ways you might express your sexuality.
Emotional connections — feeling close to someone.
Physical contact — acts of touching such as holding hands, hugging, kissing, cuddling, and sexual activity.
Sexual ...
Autonomic Dysreflexia (AD), sometimes referred to as Autonomic Hyperreflexia, is a potentially life-threatening medical condition that many people with spinal cord injury (SCI) experience when there is a pain or discomfort below their level of injury, even if the pain or discomfort cannot be felt.
People with SCI are more likely than the general population to have health problems related to not being active. Regular exercise can help to reduce the risk of health problems after SCI.
A pressure sore (also called pressure ulcer, decubitus ulcer, decubiti (plural), bedsore or skin breakdown) is an area of the skin or underlying tissue (muscle, bone) that is damaged due to loss of blood flow to the area. Blood flow to the skin keeps it alive and healthy. If the ...
What do I need to know?
Individuals with SCI are at high risk for developing pressure sores.
Pressure sores can be life threatening.
Possible complications:
Infections can develop and spread to the blood, heart and bone.
Amputations
Prolonged bed rest necessary for healing can keep you out of work, school and social activities for months.
Because ...
What do I need to know?
Ninety-five percent of all pressure sores are preventable!
After spinal cord injury, your skin requires daily care and a lot of attention.
You will need to spend time daily cleaning the skin, keeping it dry (from incontinence or perspiration), checking the skin for problems or changes, moving ...
¿Qué son las infecciones urinarias?
Como su nombre lo indica, las infecciones urinarias son infecciones del aparato urinario, que está compuesto por los riñones, los uréteres, la vejiga urinaria y la uretra.
¿Cuáles son las causas de las infecciones urinarias?
La causa más frecuente de las infecciones urinarias es el ingreso de bacterias ...
La mayoría de las personas con lesiones de la médula espinal (LME) desea trabajar aunque necesiten apoyo, formación y servicios de readaptación vocacional para ayudarles a obtener y conservar un empleo. Estas fuentes de apoyo pueden ayudar a superar muchas barreras que están fuera del control del individuo, como serían ...
What is a personal care attendant?
A personal care attendant, or PCA, is someone paid to help you with some or all of your self-care and other activities that you need for daily living after spinal cord injury (SCI).
“Personal Assistant” and “Personal Assistant Service” are other terms that refer to similar ...
Introducción
La silla de ruedas es una pieza compleja de equipo que ha sido ampliamente diseñada y estudiada. La mayoría de los individuos con LME se vuelven expertos de la silla de ruedas porque al hacerlo aumentan su probabilidad de conseguir una silla de ruedas que realmente satisface sus necesidades. Sin ...