Category Archives: Spinal Cord Injury Treatment

Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only Newswise Four people with paraplegia are able to voluntarily move previously paralyzed muscles as a result of a novel therapy that involves electrical stimulation of the spinal cord, according to a study funded in part by the National Institutes of Health and the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. The participants, each of whom had been paralyzed for more than two years, were able to voluntarily flex their toes, ankles, and knees while the stimulator was active, and the movements were enhanced over time when combined with physical rehabilitation. Researchers involved in the study say the therapy has the potential to change the prognosis of people with paralysis even years after injury. When we first learned that a patient had regained voluntary control as a result of spinal stimulation, we were cautiously optimistic, said Roderic Pettigrew, Ph.D., M.D., director of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) at NIH, which provided support for the study. Now that spinal stimulation has been successful in 4 out of 4 patients, there is evidence to suggest that a large cohort of individuals, previously with little realistic hope of any meaningful recovery from spinal cord injury, … Continue reading →

HOLLYWOOD, Fla., April 4, 2014 /PRNewswire-iReach/ --The co-founder/VP of BPI Sports, James Grage, has signed up to sponsor and run in the Second Annual Paralyzed Veterans of American Florida Chapter 5k Run, Walk, & Roll and has committed to donating money to Shriners Hospitals for Children - Tampa, with the amount depending on his own finishing time. On April 6, 2014, the Second Annual Paralyzed Veterans of America Florida Chapter 5k Run, Walk, & Roll will be taking place in Coconut Creek, Florida at Tradewinds Park. This event was created to bring awareness, and generate support for Paralyzed Veterans of America Florida Chapter, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the lives of Veterans with spinal cord injury or dysfunction. James Grage, the co-founder/VP of BPI Sports, is not only sponsoring the race, but is also running it himself. Due to a serious car accident, Grage has not run in over 15 years. Grage saw this race as an opportunity to challenge himself, and as a way to help yet another organization out Shriners Hospitals for Children. Regardless if a family can pay, Shriners Hospitals for Children provides treatment for children in the specialty areas of: orthopedics, burn care, … Continue reading →

'Spinal unit refused to scan my son because they said he would never walk again' 9:34am Friday 4th April 2014 in News By Vickie Scullard, News feature writer THE mother of a brave teenager who was left paralysed after a holiday accident claims that a spinal unit refused to scan her son because he would never walk again. Cory Peyton, aged 15, damaged his spinal cord after he dived into a swimming pool and hit his head on the floor while on holiday with his family in Portugal in July. His mum Michelle, aged 43, claims Southport Spinal Unit said there was no reason to give her son Cory another scan because he was not going to recover from his injuries. But the family, from Atherton, decided to fundraise for the costs for him to be treated privately, and consultants from St Johns and Elizabeths Hospital, London, have said following a scan that they believe he will walk again. Mrs Peyton said: Cory is chuffed to bits by the news. He kept saying he would prove them all wrong, and this is confirmation of that. He has already proved them wrong. His arms are much stronger and doctors at Watford … Continue reading →

Individuals who are paralyzed due to spinal cord injury have little hope of being able to walk again. Two new studies, however, raise hopes that it may some day be possible to restore movement by coaxing the regeneration of nerves within the central nervous system. In the first study, British and German researchers identified a chemical mechanism by which they were able to stimulate the re-growth of damaged nerve fibers in the central nervous system, or CNS, of mice. They found that a protein called PCAF appears to be essential for nerve regeneration after studying peripheral nerves in cell culture. The peripheral nervous system is involved in sensation and some muscle movement outside the CNS. Damaged axons in the central nervous system make no effort at repair, but experts say about 30 percent of damaged peripheral nerves regenerate, in many cases partially restoring function. The PCAF protein signals a series of chemical and so-called epigenetic events that promote the re-growth of these nerves. Epigenetic processes do not alter DNA. Scientists injected PCAF into mice with damaged spinal cords. They describe in an article in Nature Communications how the protein switched on a repair mechanism, causing new CNS nerve fibers to … Continue reading →

Posted on: 7:36 pm, April 2, 2014, by Kasey Babbitt and Megan Brilley, updated on: 10:18pm, April 2, 2014 OLATHE, Kan. A Blue Valley High School senior said goodbye to friends and family on Wednesday as he boarded a plane to Denver, Colorado, where he plans to undergo treatment following a paralyzing surfing accident. Shortly after 9 a.m. on Wednesday morning 18-year-old Alex Fraser was loaded onto a small private plane at the Johnson County Executive Airport. He then spent the morning traveling, with his parents by his side, to a top Denver rehabilitation center. Before they left, Frasers dad tweeted out to family and friends inviting them here to say goodbye, resulting in several fellow classmates showing up to see off their friend. Fraser had been on spring break vacation with his parents and three brothers, as well as other students and families from Blue Valley High School, when he suffered a critical life threatening injury to his neck and spinal cord while surfing. The injury left him paralyzed from the waist down. About a month prior to the injury Fraser had broken a school record for breast stroke in swimming and also regularly participates in the schools drum … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 1-Apr-2014 Contact: Anne Nicholas media@sfn.org 202-962-4086 Society for Neuroscience Delivering a single injection of a scar-busting gene therapy to the spinal cord of rats following injury promotes the survival of nerve cells and improves hind limb function within weeks, according to a study published April 2 in The Journal of Neuroscience. The findings suggest that, with more confirming research in animals and humans, gene therapy may hold the potential to one day treat people with spinal cord injuries. The spinal cord is the main channel through which information passes between the brain and the rest of the body. Most spinal cord injuries are caused by damage to the axons, the long extensions that brain cells use to send these messages. Once these injuries take place, scar tissue forms and prevents the damaged nerves from re-growing. Previous animal studies show that one way to promote the growth of injured spinal nerve cells is to administer the enzyme chondroitinase ABC (ChABC), which digests scar-forming proteins, to the site of injury. However, because ChABC breaks down quickly, maintaining these beneficial effects for a long period of time requires invasive and repeated administration of the enzyme to the spinal cord. To … Continue reading →

Dallas, TX (PRWEB) March 26, 2014 The Repair Stem Cells Institute (RSCI http://www.repairstemcells.org) announces its new Double Benefits for SCI stem cell treatment program specifically to benefit sufferers of Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI). The Regenerative Center, headed by Dr. Melvin M. Propis, a well-known practitioner of stem cells science, is located in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.A. RSCIs program is by far the least expensive SCI treatment program available using real stem cells treatments within FDA regulations. A Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) refers to any injury to the spinal cord caused by trauma rather than disease. Depending on where the spinal cord and nerve roots are damaged, the symptoms can vary widely, from pain to paralysis to incontinence. SCIs are described as "incomplete," which normally means a partial but significant paralysis, to a "complete" injury, which means a total loss of function. The number of people in the United States in 2014 who have SCI has been estimated at over a quarter million, with approximately 12,000 new cases each year. The Repair Stem Cells Institute is the worlds only stem cell patients advocacy group whose mission is to Educate, Advocate, and Empower people to make educated choices about their medical conditions … Continue reading →

CUMBERLAND Marylands hospitals reported for fiscal 2013 a decrease in the number of unexpected events in treatment that resulted in serious injury or death. Since 2004, state law has mandated such reports. That same law requires only aggregate public disclosure of the incidents, thus shielding the states 63 hospitals from quantifying or describing the events that took place in their respective facilities. The Maryland Hospital Patient Safety Program Annual Report is a product of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, specifically that agencys Office of Health Care Quality. The 223 events were down from 286 reported during the previous fiscal year. There are 12 hospitals with more than 300 beds and they reported an average of four such events for each facility. The Western Maryland Regional Medical Center has a bed capacity of 275. Hospitals with 201 to 300 beds reported an average of 5.5 adverse events apiece. There are 18 hospitals of this size in the state. The 13 hospitals of 101 to 200 beds reported an average of 3.9 and facilities with fewer than 100 beds (20) had a 0.9 average. Garrett County Memorial Hospital has 62 beds. Falls and the occurrence of pressure ulcers accounted … Continue reading →

Jenna Hagist Statewide 7:10 p.m. EDT, March 15, 2014 Dr. Rosenblum is the medical director of physical medicine and rehabilitation and the director of the spinal cord program at Gaylord Specialty Healthcare in Wallingford. For over twenty years he has treated patients with spinal cord injuries or other types of neurologic injuries or diseases. His valuable contributions began in the 1990's when he became one of the first physicians to become board certified in spinal cord injury and helped create and then direct Gaylord's Multiple Sclerosis Clinic, which focused on rehabilitation. "Dr. Rosenblum is extremely deserving of this recognition and is valued by his patients for his caring approach, compassion, and vision," said George Kyriacou, president and CEO of Gaylord Specialty Healthcare. "His innovation and leadership have helped to propel Gaylord to the national forefront of spinal cord injury care and rehabilitation." About Gaylord Specialty Healthcare: Gaylord Specialty Healthcare (GSH), headquartered in Wallingford, Connecticut is a not-for profit long-term 137 bed acute care hospital that specializes in the care and treatment of people with medically complex and intensive rehabilitation issues. Gaylord also operates outpatient therapy centers in Wallingford and North Haven, and sleep medicine centers in Glastonbury, Guilford, North Haven … Continue reading →

(MENAFN -Arab News) Saudi Arabia?s national carrier sponsored the Spinal Cord Injury Conference 2014 organized by Sultan bin Abdulaziz Humanitarian City in cooperation with the Miami Project. It was held with the support of Prince Khaled bin Sultan, head of the Board of Trustees of Sultan bin Abdulaziz Foundation. The conference addressed key topics including spinal cord surgery and the innovative treatment of solutions. The sponsorship of this conference stems from its continuous support of scientific research projects which contribute to advancing treatment while at the same time supporting the Saudi community with humanitarian programs. Flynas was recognized at the opening ceremony, patronized by Prince Khaled bin Sultan . Sulaiman bin Abdullah Al Hamdan, CEO of NAS Holding, received the honors. NAS Holding CEO said the gorup's support for this conference is part and parcel of Flynas?s corporate social responsibility programs as a national carrier that is committed to take part in supporting the community. This includes a diverse support base to cover charity organizations, awareness campaigns, or scientific programs which contribute in advancing the Kingdom from an academic or treatment perspective which in turn will reflect positively on the community. Flynas has also a distinctive role in various community … Continue reading →