Category Archives: Spinal Cord Injury Treatment

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - The UC San Diego Health System put out a call Monday for eight spinal cord injury patients to take part in a five-year test of the safety of a new treatment involving neural stem cells. The researchers are looking for people who suffered an injury to the middle or lower levels of the spine's thoracic vertebrae between one and two years ago. According to UCSD, the injury must be between the seventh and 12th thoracic vertebrae. "The goal of this study is to evaluate the safety of transplanting neural stem cells into the spine for what one day could be a treatment for spinal cord injuries," said Dr. Joseph Ciacci, the study's principal investigator and a neurosurgeon at UC San Diego Health System. "The study's immediate goal, however, is to determine whether injecting these neural stem cells into the spine of patients with spinal cord injury is safe." The doctors also want to know how long the transplanted stem cells will last, and whether drugs designed to prevent rejection by the immune system are effective, according to UCSD Health. The researchers will also look for possible changes in motor and sensory function, bowel and bladder function, … Continue reading →

Anthony L. Komaroff Universal Uclick DEAR DOCTOR K: I suffer from what my doctor calls chronic neuropathic pain. What are my treatmentoptions? DEAR READER: There are two main types of pain. Nociceptive pain results from an injury to tissues outside your nervous system. Burns, sprains and broken bones are all examples of nociceptive pain. Tiny nerve fibers are always present in tissues. When the tissue gets injured, the nerve fibers detect it. The signal they send the brain is nociceptive pain. The signal says to the brain: Do something to avoid furtherinjury! Neuropathic (nerve) pain is the second type of pain. Thats You have viewed 20 free articles or blogs allowed within a 30-day period. FREE registration is now required for uninterrupted access. S-R Media, The Spokesman-Review and Spokesman.com are happy to assist you. Contact Customer Service by email or call 800-338-8801 DEAR DOCTOR K: I suffer from what my doctor calls chronic neuropathic pain. What are my treatmentoptions? DEAR READER: There are two main types of pain. Nociceptive pain results from an injury to tissues outside your nervous system. Burns, sprains and broken bones are all examples of nociceptive pain. Tiny nerve fibers are always present in tissues. When … Continue reading →

Thanks for the support, says Owen Williams ESPN Staff August 3, 2014 Owen Williams has posted an upbeat message of thanks to his supporters as he receives treatment for a serious spinal injury. The Wales and Cardiff Blues centre suffered a "significant injury" to his cervical vertebrae and spinal cord while playing in the World Club 10s in Singapore in June. News of his injury prompted an outpouring of support from players and fans across world rugby, with Twitter users posting under the hashtag #StayStrongForOws. Now Williams has posted a message on Twitter from his hospital bed, thanking the well-wishers and sharing a picture of himself with his dog Riley. Williams, who has four Wales caps, was injured playing for the Blues in the inaugural World Club 10s against the Asia Pacific Dragons. After undergoing treatment in Singapore, Williams was then flown to Wales and is now in Cardiff's Rookwood hospital. Williams signed for the Blues' senior side in 2010 after coming through the region's academy, but a hamstring problem restricted him to just nine starts last season. ESPN Sports Media Ltd Here is the original post: Thanks for the support, says Owen Williams … Continue reading →

TAMPA About a half dozen patients in the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital Spinal Cord Injury Center had to be moved and a hallway sealed off after mold was discovered in an area near the patient care section in May, hospital officials say. The mold was found during repairs after a pipe burst in March. As a precaution we relocated the patients until the work was complete and retests confirmed no microbial growth, said Kateriniea Littles, a Haley spokeswoman. The patients were moved for about three weeks, said Littles. The work on the first floor of the Spinal Cord Injury Center egan May 28 and is expected to wrap up in the middle of August, Littles said. The disruption led at least one patient to complain to Congress. Problems began March 21, Littles said, when a half-inch hot water line ruptured in the mechanical space of the new polytrauma center. The center was under construction at the time. The ruptured line cause water to flow into the first floor of the Spinal Cord Injury Center, Littles said, with most of the damage limited to sections of the first floor that contain the VA Internet Caf, office spaces, storage rooms, conference … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 30-Jul-2014 Contact: Carolann Murphy CMurphy@KesslerFoundation.org 973-324-8382 Kessler Foundation West Orange, NJ. July 30, 2014. A new network of 25 regional stroke centers and satellite facilities - the NIH Stroke Trials Network (NIH StrokeNet) is working to change the way stroke research is conducted in the U.S. Despite advances of the last two decades, stroke remains a major public health problem. Each year, stroke causes death or disability for 795,000 Americans. The numbers are expected to rise rapidly with the aging of the population. To accelerate the pace of progress, NIH StrokeNet brings together teams of research experts specializing in prevention, treatment and recovery. NIH StrokeNet investigators, working with the broader stroke community, are identifying priorities for stroke research protocols and providing training opportunities for the future generation of stroke researchers. "The new system is intended to streamline stroke research by centralizing approval and review, lessening time and costs of clinical trials, and assembling a comprehensive data sharing system," said Petra Kaufmann, M.D., associate director for clinical research at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), which funds and manages NIH StrokeNet. The goal is to initiate four or five NINDS-funded exploratory Phase I and II … Continue reading →

Earlier this year, New York Giants running back David Wilson underwent spinal fusion surgery to repair a herniated disc in his neck. The procedure aimed to fix lingering neurological symptoms that did not improve with rest, which the Giants considered a "long shot" to begin with, according to theNew York Post's Paul Schwartz: The Giants and Wilson were hoping to avoid surgery, on the chance that rest and treatment alone would reduce the herniated disk. That was always considered a long-shot scenario, and now a surgical procedure has been deemed necessary. The operationand the Hospital for Special Surgery's Dr. Frank Cammisa, who led the surgical team according to Schwartzrejuvenated Wilson's career. In fact, the running back himself announced his medical clearance for "everything" earlier this month. Everything proceeded according to plan until Tuesday, when Schwartz tweeted that a "burner" forced the young back from practice. Newsday's Tom Rockadded that Wilson underwent tests at the Hospital for Special Surgery later that night. It goes without saying that the entire NFL community hopes for nothing but the best. To better understand what Wilson is facing, let's take a look at the spine, burnersor "stingers"and a few of the possible scenarios going forward. … Continue reading →

MRI confirms Melsons Tear; Treatment set for tomorrow! PhilBoxing.com Tue, 29 Jul 2014 New York, NY (July 28, 2014) An MRI confirmed that junior middleweight and West Point graduate Captain Boyd Rainmaker Melson suffered a torn supraspinatus. Melson, 14-1-1 (4 KOs), tore his supraspinatus, which is part of the rotator cuff, preparing for what wouldve been the biggest bout of his professional career against Glen Tapia at Madison Square Garden. This marks Melsons third tear since he started boxing, one of which forced him to give up his alternate slot in the 2008 Olympics. Thankfully, his injury wont require surgery, and hes receiving platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment tomorrow. For the treatment, a small amount of blood is drawn then spun in a centrifuge machine to separate the plasma. The plasma holds the growth factors that the human body uses for healing, and by spinning the blood, the doctor will have a concentrated medium of the bodys growth factor. This is then re-injected into the location of the injury. The PRP treatment followed by therapy should help Melson recover fairly quickly, though the initial post-treatment stage is rough. The PRP treatment is really going to help but its brutal at first, … Continue reading →

Windsor, ON (PRWEB) July 27, 2014 Traffic accidents happen on a daily basis across Ontario, ranging from minor collisions to serious collisions where vehicles are irreparable. Regardless of the extent of the property damage, a driver or passenger may have sustained injuries and should be aware of his or her rights and obligations as an accident victim. Insurance law in Ontario is complex and the rules governing our no-fault system, the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule (SABS) can be hard to navigate. It is important that accident victims contact a qualified personal injury lawyer as there are many limitation periods and important dates to remember. Paciocco & Mellow, a Windsor Personal Injury firm offers the following guidelines for what to do after an accident occurs: 1. Call the police and emergency services; 2. Make a note of the time, date and location of the accident; 3. Exchange information with the other driver (licence plate #, insurance information including name and policy #, phone # and contact information); 4. Make sure the police have your correct information and have all the information they need about the accident; 5. If there were witnesses to the accident, get their names and contact information; 6. … Continue reading →

St. Petersburg, FL (PRWEB) July 22, 2014 Joining Conquer Paralysis Now as its first champion in the movement to cure paralysis in the next decade is Paralympic silver medalist and quadriplegic Jennifer French. As a result of a snowboarding accident, French became a quadriplegic from a spinal cord injury in 1998. Now, she has joined a new effort to help find a cure for paralysis. People define cure differently, French said. For some, its walking again and for others, its something else. We have the image in our minds of what we were like before we were injured. For us, getting back to that state is whats important. French is a silver medalist representing Team USA at the 2012 Paralympic Games in the sport of sailing, and is an eight-time recipient of the Milan-Gruson Award given to the top disabled female skipper. She has been awarded 2012 Rolex Yachtwoman of the Year the first woman with a disability to do so. As co-founder and executive director of Neurotech Network, French guides the organizations focus to educate and advocate to and for persons with impairments, their caretakers and health care professionals regarding neurotechnology. She recently published her memoir, On My Feet … Continue reading →

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) July 21, 2014 According to a recent article, Brazilian star player Neymars fractured vertebra which took him out of the semifinal World Cup match is healing well. Dr. Todd Gravori of ProMed SPINE treats many back injuries, including fractured vertebra resulting from trauma to the spine. He performs back surgery in Los Angeles with an extremely high success and patient satisfaction rate. He commented on Neymars injuries, and how lucky the soccer player is to be healing so fast. Fractured vertebrae can be debilitating, said Dr. Gravori. In some cases a piece of bone may break off and enter the spinal canal, or the spinal cord could be compressed by slippage. Neymar is fortunate that his injury was mild enough to require only conservative treatment. Neymars fracture occurred in the lumbar region of the spine, and he had to be carried off the field in intense pain. However, the fracture does not require surgery, and doctors believe he will heal fully with just a back brace. For small fractures that have not caused neurologic injury, an external back brace is enough to immobilize the spine and allow the fracture to heal. Whenever a person suffers injury … Continue reading →