Articles Tagged: Chronic Pain
The Autonomic Nervous System often becomes hyperactive in people with spinal cord injury. Autonomic Dysreflexia manifests in large increases in blood pressure (hypertension) with systolic pressures exceeding 200 mm Hg, slow (Bradycardia) or fast heart rate (tachycardia), headaches, facial flushing, exuberant sweating, hyperthermia, stuffy nose, goose pimples, nausea, and other signs of autonomic hyperactivity. Called autonomic dysreflexia, these episodes may be spontaneously or may be instigated by infection, pain, or other conditions that stimulate the autonomic nervous system. Severe autonomic dysreflexia may be life-threatening. Continue Reading »
Published: September 22, 2005 | Category:
Answers The Autonomic Nervous System often becomes hyperactive in people with spinal cord injury. Autonomic Dysreflexia manifests in large increases in blood pressure (hypertension) with systolic pressures exceeding 200 mm Hg, slow (Bradycardia) or fast heart rate (tachycardia), headaches, facial flushing, exuberant sweating, hyperthermia, stuffy nose, goose pimples, nausea, and other signs of autonomic hyperactivity. Called autonomic dysreflexia, these episodes may be spontaneously or may be instigated by infection, pain, or other conditions that stimulate the autonomic nervous system. Severe autonomic dysreflexia may be life-threatening. Continue Reading »
Published: September 20, 2005 | Category:
News Yale researchers report the first evidence that phantom pain following spinal cord injury is the result of hypersensitive neurons in the thalamic region of the brain that can be suppressed with specially designed molecular agents.
“A majority of people with spinal cord injury and limb amputations experience phantom sensations of excruciating pain at or below the level of their paralysis or loss,” said Bryan Hains, associate research scientist and co-author of the study. Continue Reading »
Published: September 17, 2005 | Category:
Answers In 1990, the American Spinal Cord Injury Association (ASIA) proposed a uniform classification system that had five categories, defined in Table 1. Motor level is defined as the level at which the key muscle innervated by the segment has at least 3/5 of its normal strength. Continue Reading »
Published: September 1, 2005 | Category:
News More than 240,000 Americans, including 44,000 veterans, currently suffer from a spinal cord injury (SCI). Eleven thousand more sustain these injuries every year. The Department of Veterans Affairs promotes National Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month as a means to educate the public, aid those living with SCI, and support medical research in the SCI field.
VA has the single largest network of spinal cord injury care in the nation, with 23 specialized SCI centers and 135 SCI primary care teams or SCI support clinics at non-SCI VA medical centers. Continue Reading »
This is the second of two brochures about incomplete spinal cord injuries. The first, Incomplete SCIs: The Early Days, discusses some of the issues people with incomplete injuries face soon after injury – especially during Rehabilitation. This brochure discusses issues that may become important later on….
Having a spinal cord injury that is incomplete often means less paralysis, more sensation, and maybe an easier time managing your bowels and bladder. It can also mean more sexual function, and it often means that getting around, taking care of yourself, and doing things will be easier than if your injury had been a complete one. However, having an incomplete spinal cord injury is not a “walk in the park.” Continue Reading »
Some of these may sound familiar. Are you …
- taking more than one prescription drug?
- getting prescriptions from more than one doctor or pharmacy?
- taking one or several over-the-counter drugs with prescriptions?
- having trouble keeping track of all your medications?
- having liver or kidney problems?
- confused, disoriented or “spacey” some of the time?
You may take prescriptions for bladder management or to keep spasms under control. Then there are the antibiotics for the urinary tract infections and possibly something for pain. There are always risks with medications, and the risks rise as you age with your SCI and as the number of medications you take increases. Continue Reading »
As part of a growing health and cost conscious public, we now take more responsibility for our health. More concerned about what we eat, drink and how we exercise, we also bring a questioning approach to health care. We are now forging new relationships with our doctors and we are less likely to sit passively and accept unquestioningly our doctor’s directions. We want second opinions, alternative treatments or medications.
As a person with SCI, you know you will spend more time with doctors and other health care professionals than most people. It is a good idea to know your rights and responsibilities as a patient as well as your doctors rights and responsibilities. Continue Reading »
Rick was getting dressed one morning just sliding on his pants and pulling up a sock. He heard a loud “SNAP.” Broken hip, just like that. He was under 40, very active for his C6 injury, and hadn’t had a lot of other injuries. So what went wrong? Read on…
What Is Osteoporosis?
Throughout our lives our bones continually break themselves down and rebuild themselves. In the process, several vital minerals – especially calcium – are lost and then replaced. For Rick and others with osteoporosis, the breaking-down process happens faster than the rebuilding, and the net loss of minerals causes bones to become brittle. Fractures can happen for almost no reason during Range of Motion, after a minor fall, even after a bad spasm. Hip bones (femurs) are often affected, but so are the back bones (Vertebrae) and wrist bones. Osteoporosis can limit your function, and if your sitting posture is affected, it can increase your risk for skin and respiratory problems. Continue Reading »
Ever have trouble making sense out of articles in medical, scientific, and research magazines? This brochure will give you some pointers as you try to wade through all the techno-jargon you find!
There’s Hope in Consistency
You need some strategies to make reading medical and scientific journals easier. Luckily, scientific articles in magazines – like the Journal of the American Medical Association, Spinal Cord, or Neurology – tend to be divided into sections with headings like Continue Reading »
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