What is spasticity?
Spasticity is the uncontrolled overactivity of muscles caused by disrupted signals from the brain. It is common in persons with more severe traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). People with spasticity may feel as if their muscles have tightened and will not relax or stretch. They may also feel muscle ...
A severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) affects more than just the injured person. It also affects family members and friends who love and are close to the person who is injured. As one of these people, you play a very important role in caring for a loved one with a ...
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MSKTC Radio · Understanding a Burn Injury
PHASE I: Burn Evaluation & Early Care
What Is a Burn Injury?
A burn injury is damage to the layers of skin caused by exposure to the one of the ...
What You Can Do About Your Pain
In the same way that pain is personal, so too are strategies for managing it. Learning to manage pain is a process that takes practice. Don’t get discouraged if the process is difficult at the start.
In this document, you’ll find some common strategies for ...
Pain is an unpleasant sensation that can range from mild to very severe. Pain is very personal; two people can have the same type and amount of pain and have very different reactions to it.
Pain is usually considered chronic when it lasts more than three months. Many people with traumatic ...
What are irritability, anger, and aggression and how can you recognize them?
Irritability is an emotional state in which a person has a short temper and is easily annoyed or angered. As a result, small things can lead to harsh reactions (for example, snapping at family or friends). This is most ...
People hospitalized for a burn injury often describe it as one of the most painful injuries one can experience Opioids are frequently prescribed to help alleviate this pain.
Although there is not one standard approach to acute burn pain management, a goal is for the hospitalized patient to be awake, alert, ...
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MSKTC Radio · Memory and Moderate to Severe TBI
Memory and Traumatic Brain Injury
Memory problems are very common in people with moderate to severe TBI.
TBI can damage parts of the brain that handle learning and ...
Introduction
Wheelchair breakdowns can injure wheelchair users and limit mobility and social participation. Poor wheelchair maintenance increases the risk of wheelchair breakdowns and personal injury or death, and increases the costs of medical care. The number of users injured from wheelchair breakdowns doubled from 1991 to 2016.
According to a 2016 study, ...
What does the respiratory system do?
Your respiratory system (or pulmonary system) is responsible for breathing. This system enables you to inhale oxygen into your blood and exhale carbon dioxide. Your body needs the oxygen to survive, and carbon dioxide must be removed to avoid the build-up of acid in your ...
The pressure relief technique you use will depend on your level of injury, the type of wheelchair you use and how much movement and strength you have in your arms and shoulders.
Tilting or reclining
If you are unable to perform independent pressure reliefs, you can use a power tilt wheelchair for ...
This training will teach you how to move to and from your wheelchair and help you to prevent wear and tear on your body. It is designed for manual and power wheelchair users and anyone interested in learning about a three-phase technique for safe wheelchair transfers.
This online training will teach you how to identify issues with your manual wheelchair so you can keep yourself safe and better manage the cost of wheelchair repairs. You will also practice inspecting your own wheelchair and if needed make minor repairs.
This online training will teach you how to identify issues with your manual wheelchair so you can keep yourself safe and better manage the cost of wheelchair repairs. You will also practice inspecting your own wheelchair and if needed make minor repairs.
Study modified an existing scar scale and tested the reliability of the new scale in assessing burn scars from photographs. The new scale consisted of three parameters as follows: scar height, surface appearance, and color mismatch. Each parameter was assigned a score of 1 (best) to 4 (worst), generating ...
Reviews literature that provides objective data on the ability to return to work after burns and analyzes data obtained from participants at 2 regional burn centers who were employed outside the home at the time of injury. The literature searched from 1966 through October 2000 yielded 10 articles with ...
Study examined the need for surgical intervention in children with burn injuries who received a supervised, hospital-based exercise and physical therapy program compared to pediatric burn patients who received conventional physical therapy in their homes. Fifty-three patients were evaluated at 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 months after injury ...
Advances in critical care and surgical management have significantly improved survival following burns over the past several decades. However, today, survival alone is an insufficient outcome. The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) has created a program to evaluate the long-term sequelae of burn injuries. As part ...
Study analyzed data prospectively obtained from adults with major burn injury 2 months after hospital discharge and 12 months after injury to determine (1) how their quality of life (QOL) changed over time, and (2) what specific functional, emotional, and social variables are able to predict QOL. The Burn ...