Category Archives: Spinal Cord Injury Treatment

Diagnosis and Treatment of Thoracic Spinal Cord Injury By Wise Young, Ph.D., M.D. W. M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey http:sciwire.com, last updated 23 July 2005 Many people have been asking for an article about diagnosis and treatment of thoracic spinal cord injury. The following is a short description of upper and mid-thoracic spinal cord injury, emphasizing the anatomy, the neurology, treatment, recovery, and long-term changes, and hope for recovery and therapies. Anatomy The thoracic spinal cord is situated in the T1-T9 thoracic spinal canal. The thoracic vertebral segments form the chest wall and have ribs. The thoracic segments are the best protected of all the vertebral segments because of the ribs. It takes enormous forces to fracture the thoracic spinal vertebral bodies. Traumatic injuries of the upper thoracic spinal cord are relatively rare, accounting for only 10-15% of spinal cord injuries (compared to 40% due to cervical, 35% due to thoracolumbar injuries, and 5% due to lumbosacral injuries). Thoracic spinal cord injuries occur as a result of high-speed motor vehicular accidents, tumors that have compressed the spinal cord, and ischemic injuries of the spinal cord. When traumatic injuries of the thoracic spinal cord occur, … Continue reading →

Overview Spinal Cord Injury - Stem Cell Treatment in India In 1995, actor Christopher Reeve fell off a horse and severely damaged his spinal cord, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down. From then until his death in 2004, the silver screen Superman became the most famous face of spinal cord injury. Most spinal cord injury causes permanent disability or loss of movement (paralysis) and sensation below the site of the injury. Paralysis that involves the majority of the body, including the arms and legs, is called quadriplegia or tetraplegia. When a spinal cord injury affects only the lower body, the condition is called paraplegia. Christopher Reeve's celebrity and advocacy raised national interest, awareness and research funding for spinal cord injury. Many scientists are optimistic that important advances will occur to make the repair of injured spinal cords a reachable goal. In the meantime, treatments and rehabilitation allow many people with spinal cord injury to lead productive, independent lives. A complete spinal cord injury is defined by total or near-total loss of motor function and sensation below the area of injury. However, even in a complete injury, the spinal cord is almost never completely cut in half. Doctors use the … Continue reading →

MENLO PARK, Calif., June 8, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Asterias Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NYSE MKT: AST), a biotechnology company focused on the emerging field of regenerative medicine, today announced that the first patient was successfully dosed at the Atlanta-based Shepherd Center in a Phase 1/2a clinical trial evaluating activity of escalating doses of AST-OPC1 (oligodendrocyte progenitor cells) in newly injured patients with sensory and motor complete cervical spinal cord injury (SCI). The Phase 1/2a trial is part of the planned registration program for AST-OPC1, with neurologically complete cervical SCI as the first targeted indication. The open-label, single-arm study, which will be conducted at a total of up to eight centers in the United States, will test three sequential escalating doses of AST-OPC1 administered at up to 20 million AST-OPC1 cells in 13 patients with sub-acute, C-5 to C-7, neurologically complete cervical SCI. These individuals have essentially lost all sensation and movement below their injury site with severe paralysis of the upper and lower limbs. AST-OPC1 will be administered 14 to 30 days post-injury. Patients will be followed by neurological exams and imaging methods to assess the safety and activity of the product. Additional information on the Phase 1/2a study, including trial sites, … Continue reading →

The spinal cord consists of the nerves which connect the brain with the body, and is located in the spinal canal. The spinal canal lies inside the human vertebral column or spine, which is formed by all the vertebrae, the intervertebral discs and ligaments - (More information, including pictures, on the human spinal cord can be found here.) Spinal cord injuries (SCI's) have the potential to cause both loss of sensation and movement below the site of injury in persons who experience them. People may experience a spinal cord injury through trauma to the spine; for example in either a fall, or through a car accident. People may experience a spinal cord injury which is either incomplete or complete. In persons who have experienced an incomplete spinal cord injury, they may have some level of both feeling and movement remaining below the site of their injury. Persons with SCI may experience additional issues involving control of urination and bowel movements. People who have spinal cord injuries involving their neck many times require specific devices in order to assist them with breathing. Terms such as, 'Paraplegia,' 'Quadriplegia,' and, 'Tetraplegia,' are used to describe medical conditions associated with persons who have experienced … Continue reading →

Neuroxcels innovative Comprehensive Activity-based Strength Training (C.A.S.T) program offers new hope to postrehabilitation clients recovering from spinal cord injury, stroke andother neurological disorders at our Inclusive Fitness Strength and Conditioning Training Facility. Based in South Florida, Neuroxcel is the only facility in the State of Florida to offer robotic-assisted gait strengthtraining and functional pattern movement exercises to the public. Neuroxcel takes individuals with spinal cord injury, stroke and other neurological disorders through apost rehabilitation functional movement exercise strength and condtioning training program. Neuroxcel's client's regain the most strength and lost physical ability as a by product of the strength and conditioning training they recieve in the shortest period of time. Neuroxcels clients are ready to achieve results because they have researched their injury and Neuroxcels C.A.S.T program. They're ready to make the commitment it takes to maximize their individual results. Our degreed and certified exercise training specialists who work with special populations help clients achieve peak physical condition by building total body muscle mass, enhancing muscle memory with exercises,facilitate weight bearing activites andother functional strengtheningexercises for people with neurological conditions. With our help and the clients commitment, stroke, spinal cord injured andother people with neurological conditions donot have to accepta … Continue reading →

A WHEELCHAIR-BOUND student from South Essex College is taking part in this years London Marathon to raise money for a spinal cord injury charity. Eddie Clampin, a Level 3 counselling student, will be completing the 26-mile course for Back Up, a charity that works with people affected by spinal cord injuries. He has been training in preparation for the event on April 26, swimming half amile twiceaweek and completing a 10-mile course in his wheelchair along the seafront every Sunday. Eddie, 36, from Southend, said: Training has been tough, swimming has been fun, but the wind can really affect my pushing technique. After a motorbike accident in 2008, Eddie damaged his spine and was left paralysed from the waist down. He said: Im trying to turn a negative into a positive. What happened to me was life changing, but I am lucky too, I can still use my hands and arms and Im very independent. To support and sponsor Eddies marathon challenge, email him at eddiethepara@hotmail.com Jordansrunningfor Havens A FORMER Canvey schoolboyis running a marathon andhosting a comedy night toraise funds for achildrenshospice. Jordan Greenaway, 23, willtake part in the LondonMarathon for the second yearin aid of Havens Hospices. Read … Continue reading →

According to the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, nearly one in 50 people are living with paralysis. Until now, there wasn't much hope. But, a new study involving stem cells has doctors and patients excited. Two years ago, Brenda Guerra's life changed forever. "They told me that I went into a ditch and was ejected out of the vehicle," says Brenda. The accident left the 26-year-old paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair. "I don't feel any of my lower body at all," says Brenda. Brenda has traveled from Kansas to UC San Diego to be the first patient to participate in a ground-breaking safety trial, testing stem cells for paralysis. "We are directly injecting the stem cells into the spine," says Dr. Joseph Ciacci, a neurosurgeon at UC San Diego. The stem cells come from fetal spinal cords. The idea is when they're transplanted they will develop into new neurons and bridge the gap created by the injury by replacing severed or lost nerve connections. They did that in animals and doctors are hoping for similar results in humans. The ultimate goal: to help people like Brenda walk again. Go here to read the rest: Stem … Continue reading →

Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only Newswise April 1, 2015 Alexander R. Vaccaro, MD, PhD, has assumed the role of Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Spinal Disorders & Techniques, the definitive journal of research and clinical practice related to spinal disorders and their surgical treatment, published by Wolters Kluwer. Dr. Vaccaro is the Richard H. Rothman Professor and Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Professor of Neurosurgery, Co-Director of the Delaware Valley Spinal Cord Injury Center, and Co-Chief of Spine Surgery at the Sidney Kimmel Medical Center at Thomas Jefferson University, and the President, Rothman Institute, Philadelphia. He becomes Editor-in-Chief effective with the April issue of the Journal of Spinal Disorders & Techniques. The change in editor signals a series of new editorial policies and features, emphasizing timely publication of the most important new research in spinal surgery. Dr. Vaccaro writes, "With these changes, authors and readers will be able to access high-quality, clinically relevant articles that will have an important impact on the management of patients with spinal disorders. In an introductory editorial, Dr. Vaccaro outlines his plans for maintaining and furthering the journal's clinical relevance to spinal surgery practice. As always, Journal of Spinal Disorders & … Continue reading →

Louisville, KY (PRWEB) March 31, 2015 NeuroRecovery Training Institute (NeuroRTI) is pleased to announce they are set to have two faculty members speak about the Pediatric Neuromuscular Recovery Scale at the upcoming International Spinal Cord Society (ISCoS) and American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Joint Scientific Meeting, which will be held May 14-16, 2015 in Montreal, Canada. Dr. Andrea Behrman, PT, PhD, FAPTA, and Shelley Trimble, PT, will present Pediatric Neuromuscular Recovery Scale: Content Development, Reliability, and Application with collaborator, Dr. Mary Jane (MJ) Mulcahey, on May 14 from 11:40 AM 1:10 PM. The current gaps in pediatric assessments will be identified and the rationale for measuring neuromuscular capacity in children ages 1-12 years will be addressed. Attendees in this workshop furthermore will learn about the Pediatric Neuromuscular Recovery Scale items, scoring, content validity and inter-rater reliability of the Pediatric Neuromuscular Recovery Scale (Peds NRS). There will be opportunities to score items on the Peds NRS across the age spectrum from ages 1-12 years via video cases. The Peds NRS is an extension of the Adult NRS, adapted to address the needs for a population age 1-12 with varying motor skills across this age span. Similar to the adult NRS, the … Continue reading →

An international team of more than 18 research groups has demonstrated that the compounds they developed can safely prevent harmful protein aggregation in preliminary tests using animals. The findings raise hope that a new class of drugs may be on the horizon for the more than 30 diseases and conditions that involve protein aggregation, including diabetes, cancer, spinal cord injury, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Proteins are necessary for almost every cellular process. However, when cell machinery doesn't clear out old proteins, they can clump, or aggregate, into toxic plaques that lead to disease. "Diseases caused by protein aggregation affect millions of people around the world," said Gal Bitan, Ph.D., associate professor of neurology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California -- Los Angeles, who will present the team's latest work at the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) Annual Meeting during Experimental Biology 2015. "We hope that the new compounds will provide therapy for diseases caused by protein aggregation, many of which have no treatment at all." The researchers call the compounds that they developed molecular tweezers because of the way they wrap around the lysine amino acid … Continue reading →