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.
Areas where bones are close to the surface (called "bony prominences") and areas that are under the most pressure are at greatest risk for developing pressure sores.
In bed, body parts can be padded with pillows or foam to keep bony prominences (areas where bones are close to the skin surface) ...
What is the study about?
Survival within two years after spinal cord injury (SCI) has greatly improved over the past few decades, although long-term survival after the first two years has not shown significant improvement. However, people with SCI still have higher rates of mortality than people without SCI. To better ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 is skin tolerance?
Skin tolerance is how much time your skin can stand to be under pressure before damage starts to occur. Each person's skin tolerance is different. Some people may need to relieve pressure very often, others may not have to do it as often, but they still need ...
What is the study about?
This study examined the effect of wheelchair transfers and transfer technique on wheelchair users’ median nerve, which is located in the wrist; damage to the nerve can contribute to carpal tunnel syndrome. It linked ultrasound measures of the median nerve with how an individual performed wheelchair ...
What is the study about?
This study aimed at refining Transfer Assessment Instrument 2.0 (TAI), perform reliability testing, and evaluate measurement properties of the refined version of TAI 3.0. This study is important because TAI is an objective and quantifiable measure of transfer technique that helps clinicians detect harmful transfer technique ...
What is the study about?
The study evaluated how technique used during wheelchair transfers related to shoulder pain and injury in people with spinal cord injury (SCI). Since wheelchair users depend on their arms to perform most of their daily activities, muscles and tendons around the shoulder often get overused and ...
Our featured video and brief video clips share information about managing pain after sustaining a spinal cord injury. In this video, SCI Model Systems Researchers share how they helped two individuals with SCI diagnose and manage their shoulder pain, which resulted from wheelchair use.