MADISON — A rare genetic disease may have taken away Kurt Johnston’s ability to hike through the rugged fields and forests of northern Wisconsin. But thanks to some new technology, it hasn’t kept him from turkey hunting.

Johnston is one of a growing number of people using all-terrain wheelchairs to expand their ability to live a normal life far from sidewalks and wheelchair ramps.

“That’s mainly why I bought it,” Johnston said of turkey hunting with his all-terrain wheelchair. “It’s cool. We tell everyone it looks like a tank.” Continue Reading »

Spinal cord injury (SCI) occurs when the spinal cord becomes damaged, most commonly, when motor vehicle accidents, falls, acts of violence, or sporting accidents fracture vertebrae and crush or transect the spinal cord.

Damage to the spinal cord usually results in impairments or loss of muscle movement, muscle control, sensation and body system control. Continue Reading »

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Systemic hypothermia remains a promising neuroprotective strategy. There has been recent interest in its use in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). In this article, we describe our extended single center experience using intravascular hypothermia for the treatment of cervical SCI. Continue Reading »

EndlessAbility.com

Endless Ability Jeans – Adaptive/Modified Clothing for Spinal Cord Injury/Disabled Wheel Chair Users

Endless Ability Jeans are a brand of jean catered to those who use wheel chairs. With a high-rise rear for full coverage, lowered front pocket, removal of rear pockets for comfort and an option of a catheter zipper for foley or self catheter access, there is no better jean on the market for anyone who has experienced a spinal cord injury or for those who use a wheel chair for various other injuries. Continue Reading »

Each year, more than 12,000 people — usually young adults — experience a serious spinal cord injury. But it is possible to rise above paralysis.

Competing as an NCAA ski racer down a fast slope in Massachusetts, Kelly Brush hit an icy patch, catapulted off the trail, and hit a lift tower stanchion that fractured her spine, four ribs, and a vertebra in her neck. She also had a collapsed lung. After 10 hours of surgery, Brush found herself alive, but paralyzed from the chest down in Feb. 2006. Continue Reading »

Alan Brown had just wrapped up a fundraiser for his high school best friend, Danny Heumann, who had been paralyzed after he broke his back in a car accident.

“We were 18 years old, ready to live life,” said Brown, who became his friend’s caregiver, staying by his side at New York City’s Rusk Institute after the 1985 accident.

But just six weeks after he had helped raise $25,000 for his friend’s new foundation, Brown himself suffered a cruel twist of fate. He, too, was paralyzed after diving into the surf on a Club Med vacation in Martinique. It was Jan. 2, 1988, a bit more than two years after Heumann’s accident. Continue Reading »

This week’s Wee Answer Wednesday will be squarely focused on incontinence after a spinal cord injury. In the immediate aftermath of a spinal cord injury, there’s a lot to take in. Your life has changed in so many ways that it can be a challenge to get a handle on all the information coming your way. Some problems are bigger than others. In a recent survey of paralyzed veterans, incontinence was identified as the #2 most important issue for those in wheelchairs.

So whether you’re new to the issue or an old hat at managing your incontinence, here are some of the most common incontinence questions men ask after a spinal cord injury. Continue Reading »

Kelly Brush Davisson, founder of the Kelly Brush Foundation, has been selected as one of 10 Athletes Who Care by Sports Illustrated magazine. Davisson, 26, started her foundation after sustaining a spinal cord injury that left her paralyzed after a ski racing crash.

Kelly Brush Davisson has been selected as one of 10 Athletes Who Care by Sports Illustrated magazine.

The magazine’s December 10 issue, on newsstands now, includes Brush Davisson on a list of athletes singled out for the charitable work they do off the playing field. Brush Davisson, 26, founded the Kelly Brush Foundation in 2006, following a ski racing crash that left her paralyzed. Despite her injury she remained active in sports, winning the women’s handcycle division of the Boston Marathon in 2011. Continue Reading »

Walking With Anthony helps those with spinal cord injuries

Nearly three years ago, Anthony Purcell thought he was dying.

He dove into the Florida surf and didn’t come back up. He couldn’t move at all. His neck was broken, his spinal cord injured.

He was paralyzed, he learned in the hospital after a cousin pulled him from the water. But “paralyzed” is a word his family refuses to say, and a prognosis the Purcells refuse to accept. Continue Reading »