Ricky James, 19 years old from Murrieta, Ca. has been selected to compete in a new exhibition sport “Adaptive Motox” at X Games 14 in Carson California on August 1, 2008.

James suffered a spinal cord injury in a motocross crash in 2005 leaving him a Paraplegic at the age of 16. Ricky did not let his injury stop him from doing what he loved most. Barely 6 months after his injury Ricky started designing adaptive components that would allow him to ride his dirt bike again. Along with fellow paraplegic Brad Meinzer from ParaPro’s Racing, the two developed a sophisticated system that would not only allow him to ride but also to race. Ricky competed in the 2007 SCORE Baja 500 along with 3 other able bodied members of his team and completed his grueling 120 mile leg of the race in just over 4 hours. Continue Reading »

http://youtube.com/watch?v=d8FvgkRdgHE

It was June 2005 and Chase Ford had just turned 2-years-old. Continue Reading »

http://youtube.com/watch?v=8G3_S-LJO9o

The Allen Institute for Brain Science today unveiled the groundbreaking Allen Spinal Cord Atlas, the world’s first genome-wide map of the mouse spinal cord. Continue Reading »

When Jane Roskams started studying spinal-cord injuries, she kept coming across cells she couldn’t identify. Other experts were often stumped, too.

“I quickly found out what a black box the spinal cord is,” said the University of British Columbia (UBC) scientist. “People don’t even know what half the cells are, let alone what they do.”

So when a Seattle neuroscience lab created by Microsoft billionaire Paul Allen was casting around for its next project, Roskams offered a suggestion: Create a detailed map of the spinal cord. Continue Reading »

SEATTLE – A new online atlas that links mouse genes to spinal cord function should point researchers toward new treatments for maladies that affect millions of people, the project’s leaders said Thursday.

The first “pages” of the Allen Spinal Cord Atlas, backed by software billionaire Paul Allen and an unusual consortium of contributors, were made available on the Internet for an official unveiling. Eventually, the free online resource will offer 30 trillion bytes of data documenting how a mouse’s full set of 20,000 genes affect spinal cord development.

“The Allen Spinal Cord Atlas offers profound potential for researchers to unlock the mysteries of the spinal cord and how it is altered during disease or injury,” Allan Jones, chief scientific officer at the Seattle-based Allen Institute for Brain Science, said in a statement released early Thursday. Continue Reading »

Anti Tip Bars that is!

Craig Hospital has been rated every year in the Top Ten Rehabilitation Hospitals by US News and World Report since the ratings began eighteen years ago. Today, Wednesday July 16, 2008, Craig Hospital raised the bar in its rankings with the ribbon cutting ceremony of the new Mike Utley Terrain Park thanks to the generous support from the Mike Utley Foundation, the Cloverleaf Foundation, the Colorado Garden Show and supporters of Craig Hospital. A dream visualized by John Minden and the Craig Hospital Physical Therapy Department became reality today!

Mike Utley, who was the starting Right Guard for the Detroit Lions and suffered a Spinal Cord Injury in 1991; Mike did his rehabilitation at Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colorado. As you may remember, Mike flashed the crowd a “thumbs up” as he was being taken off the field. Mike is still a symbol of inspiration wherever he goes. Continue Reading »

2008 has been a year marred by injuries to horses and people riding them.

When I see a rider go down, it reminds me of the accident that paralyzed and ultimately killed Christopher Reeve.

Like Rock Hudson for AIDS and Lou Gehrig for ALS, Reeve put a famous and courageous face on an ailment. Because of Reeve, money and resources have been devoted to possible cures for spinal cord injuries.

I work with lesser-known people who benefited from the attention that Christopher Reeve brought to spinal injuries. These aren’t famous movie stars. They are people hit by a truck or who fell on a slippery floor.

Like Reeve, their lives changed in one second. Continue Reading »

A chemical used by bacteria to invade other cells may boost the chance of successful Rehabilitation from spinal and brain injury, research suggests.

A team from the Centre for Brain Repair in Cambridge treated rats with the enzyme chondroitinase.

They found the treatment increased the length of time that the nervous system was responsive to rehab.

The study raises the possibility of faster and more effective treatments for neurological patients. Continue Reading »

PORT ARTHUR – Kevin Everett walked toward the football field at Memorial High School and paused for yet another photograph Monday.

Sheri Richmond, a Port Arthur resident who attended Lincoln High School with Everett’s mother, Pat, held up a cell phone and snapped a shot.

“I hadn’t seen him since right after he finished high school,” said the 46-year-old Richmond, who introduced herself as his mother’s old classmate. “I wanted to come here and see him for myself.”

Moments later, Everett turned and had another photo taken, this time with 10-year-old Trey Pitre of Port Arthur. Continue Reading »

PORTAGE | The Northwest Indiana Spinal Cord Injury Group is hoping to educate people about life in a wheelchair by sponsoring a series of three films.

The films, said group founder Joe White, of Valparaiso, illustrate various aspects of spinal cord injury, recovery and research.

“They moved me, and they are great films. I feel the need to share them,” White said. “It is also a way for me and the group to thank the community for all the support for the walk.” Continue Reading »