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The Spinal Cord Injury Zone website is a not-for-profit Spinal Cord Injury educational Knowledge Base. The mission of The Spinal Cord Injury Zone is to archive important Spinal Cord Injury News and Spinal Cord Injury Information for education and awareness.
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The possibility of using a patient’s skin to generate healthy new heart, liver or nerve cells has moved a step closer after a breakthrough by US scientists. Using the cloning technique which produced Dolly the Sheep in 1996, researchers were able for the first time to turn human skin cells into “embryonic” stem cells, which can grow into any type of tissue in the body. Experts claimed the work raised the prospect of “therapeutic cloning” in which patients’ own... Continue Reading »
This world of ours is full of barriers and limitations for individuals with disabilities; especially, those who are in power wheelchairs. But, one limitation that should not be accepted is the difficulty of airline transportation for the disabled. The current standard for air travel for those in power wheelchairs is exhausting, dangerous, many times embarrassing and utterly unacceptable. It is also a process that has the opportunity of improving and eventually being fixed; Ben Trockman’s idea... Continue Reading »
A spinal cord injury can happen to anyone yet no one is prepared for life after the injury. Project Walk provides people with an option for recovery. Read More →
Imagine being paralyzed: whatever position you are in right now, you must stay there– until someone comes to move you. As an American, the chances of you becoming paralyzed are roughly one in fifty. With a U.S. population of 315 million, an estimated 5.6 million children and adults suffer paralysis. That’s 1.7% of America’s population, members of your family and mine. One is my friend who recently incurred a nerve condition called Guillain-Barre’ (gee-on burray, GB) syndrome. He was paralyzed... Continue Reading »
New treatments leverage “neuroplasticity,” the nervous system’s innate ability to repair itself When Christopher Reeve became quadriplegic, there was little hope for patients with spinal cord injury. Now researchers are combining what they know about the central nervous system’s ability to rewire and regrow with a new understanding of the hidden smarts of the spinal cord to dramatically improve treatments. Even the most devastating spinal cord injuries usually do not completely sever the... Continue Reading »
Sophie Morgan was left paralysed after a car accident in 2003, aged 18; Has no sensation from the waist down but has no complaints about sex; Sophie thought she’d live in celibacy, and discovered quite the opposite. When I was invited to write about my sex life, I was hesitant. How much did I want to reveal about something so deeply personal? I’m no exhibitionist – I do not relish the thought of strangers knowing intimate details of my life. But then I decided, yes, I would do it. Why?... Continue Reading »
Reconstructive hand surgery can dramatically enhance the life quality and independence of those paralysed by a cervical spinal cord injury. Despite this, the operation is not frequently performed, either in Sweden or elsewhere. Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy are now hoping to change that. A cervical spinal cord injury entails paralysis in both arms and legs, severely limiting daily life for its victims. Previous studies have shown that the capability that those with cervical spinal cord injuries... Continue Reading »
If you come across a photo of David Hudgik, most likely he’s smiling. It reflects his optimism 16 months after being paralyzed in a trampoline accident at his home in Keene. Life moves forward for the 17-year-old Keene High School senior and his family, even when they’re tempted to shake their fists at fate. But that won’t do. Boxes in their new house in Keene need to be unpacked. The interior of the new elevator needs staining. There’s a hockey puck to drop today. The eight-point New Year’s... Continue Reading »
January 23, 2013 – Doctors at The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, a Center of Excellence at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, performed the first-ever Food and Drug Administration approved Schwann cell transplantation in a patient with a new spinal cord injury. The procedure, performed at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center, is a Phase 1 clinical trial designed to evaluate the safety and feasibility of transplanting the patient’s own Schwann cells. “This... Continue Reading »
CASA GRANDE, Arizona — A Casa Grande man who is a former U.S. Border Patrol agent created and patented a video game controller for people with severe spinal cord injuries. Luis Pena formed LP Accessible Technologies and created the controller out of necessity. He was injured in an auto accident on the job in 2007 and is a quadriplegic. His company focuses on building video game controllers that disabled people can use to play video games. A longtime video game buff, Pena missed playing games after... Continue Reading »
In April 2007, Amanda left a prom after-party with a friend who had been drinking. On the way home, the driver crashed into a ditch. Amanda’s spinal cord was injured, and she was paralyzed from the neck down. She was hospitalized for five months and went through a grueling regimen of physical therapy each day. Amanda had to relearn how to feed herself, brush her teeth, get dressed and do many... Continue Reading »
Michelle Stilwell one of three B.C. MLAs with a physical disability In much the way she views her wheelchair racing career – she is an athlete with a disability, not a disabled athlete – Michelle Stilwell isn’t overly interested in framing her new job as a politician by the fact she uses a chair. The multiple Paralympic gold medallist won a provincial seat in her first try on Tuesday,... Continue Reading »
NEW YORK, May 16, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — United Spinal Association and The Buoniconti Fund today announced their plans to create a coordinated national network of peer support groups called the “Spinal Network” that will set higher standards in assisting people living with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI/D). The goal of the Spinal Network is to ensure more peer support... Continue Reading »
The possibility of using a patient’s skin to generate healthy new heart, liver or nerve cells has moved a step closer after a breakthrough by US scientists. Using the cloning technique which produced Dolly the Sheep in 1996, researchers were able for the first time to turn human skin cells into “embryonic” stem cells, which can grow into any type of tissue in the body. Experts claimed... Continue Reading »
“It’s like going from 21 to zero, when you first learn to crawl and walk. Now I have to learn to move my body in a whole different way.” When Janice Wray lost control of her car on Route 95 in Connecticut last year, everything stopped. A 2009 graduate of East Greenwich High School, Janice was in her third year of nursing school at the University of Rhode Island. Now, suddenly, she was paralyzed... Continue Reading »
Project Walk® Spinal Cord Injury Recovery Center, the world leader in spinal cord injury (SCI) recovery
A spinal cord injury can happen to anyone yet no one is prepared for life after the injury.
This is the only acute care rehab facility at a primary trauma centre in Sri Lanka.
Minnesota Viking Chris Kluwe spends a day in a wheelchair to support our efforts to pass the Jablonski Rodreick SCI TBI Research Bill.
Ryan Chalmers will “Push Across America” in 71 days.
Maintaining health can prevent secondary complications from developing, new book says oanne Smith and...
Sophie Morgan was left paralysed after a car accident in 2003, aged 18; Has no sensation from the waist...
Spinal cord injury (SCI) occurs when the spinal cord becomes damaged, most commonly, when motor vehicle...
This week’s Wee Answer Wednesday will be squarely focused on incontinence after a spinal cord injury....
Spinal cord injury is a serious and debilitating condition, affecting millions of people worldwide. Long...
Counter height, the width of the kitchen, and sink accessibility all matter when remodeling a kitchen for someone who uses a wheelchair. In her great essay about designing a wheelchair accessible kitchen, Dr. Rosemary Rossetti calls the kitchen “the most important room of the house”. I agree. Can you imagine not being able to use your own kitchen? Fortunately, there are some great remodeling... Continue Reading »
This guide has been put together to offer assistance to those travelling on a cruise with a disability or if travelling with someone with special requirements. Cruises offer a great way to get away for many disabled travellers, as modern cruise ships offer fantastic facilities onboard. Disabled access cabins are much easier to get around in if you have limited mobility. The layout of most modern ships... Continue Reading »
Missy was one of eight students in a prayer group who were shot by a fellow student in the lobby of their Padukah, Kentucky high school. Her fortitude and faith keep her speaking on today’s urgent issues. About the Author Missy Jenkins nervously wheeled herself through the iron gates of the Kentucky State Reformatory. Waiting on the other side was Michael Carneal, a cold-blooded killer who put... Continue Reading »
“Are you okay?” my student asked concerned. “Sure, why wouldn’t I be?” I responded in a confused tone, but I knew why she asked. “Oh, it’s just…because you’re sitting today,” she started to stutter as her voice got lower almost not claiming what she just said. As I rolled my wheelchair to the front of the classroom under my desk I assured her, “Oh, yea, I brought my wheelchair... Continue Reading »
People often ask me when or if there will ever be a cure for spinal cord injury. Although there are many differing opinions about this, I am confident there will be a cure in my lifetime. In the meantime, anyone with a spinal cord injury should have a long-term plan for their treatment and care. The number of spinal cord injuries per year has remained fairly stable over the last two decades, with nearly... Continue Reading »
The term "Spinal Cord Injury" refers to any injury of the neural (pertaining to nerves) elements within the spine..
SCI can occur from either trauma or disease to the vertebral column or the spinal cord itself. Most spinal cord injuries are the result of trauma to the vertebral column. These injuries can affect the spinal cord's ability to send and receive messages from the brain to the body systems that control sensory, motor, and autonomic function below the level of injury.
Depending on the location and severity of the injury, the body can be affected in a myriad of ways. Typically, the nerves above the injury site continue to function as they always have and the nerves below the site do not.
According to a study initiated by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, there are nearly 1 in 50 people living with paralysis -- approximately 6 million people. That's the same number of people as the combined populations of Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. And that number is nearly 40 percent higher than previous estimates showed.