Spinal Cord Injuries & Incontinence

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 »

Uh Study Focuses on Immunity, Infection, Exercise and Spinal Cord Injured Patients

TIRR Foundation Funds Research Professors in Department of Health and Human Performance

HOUSTON, TX – Mobility is a challenge for spinal cord injured patients. Infection is another. Adam Thrasher, assistant professor of health and human performance (HHP), says infection is the leading cause of death for people living with spinal cord injuries for two years or more. He and HHP colleague Richard Simpson are investigating why the immune system is blunted after a spinal cord injury. Continue Reading »

Spleen Might Be Source of Damaging Cells at Spinal Cord Injury Site

Newswise — The spleen, an organ that helps the body fight infections, might also be a source of the cells that end up doing more harm than good at the site of a spinal cord injury, new research suggests.

Considering the spleen’s role in the after-effects of spinal cord injury could change the way researchers pursue potential treatments for these devastating injuries. Continue Reading »

UTI Risk in Spinal Injury Reduced by New Catheter

The use of a hydrophilic-coated catheter called SpeediCath (Coloplast) delays the onset of urinary tract infections (UTIs) in patients with acute spinal cord injury.

Compared with the use of an uncoated polyvinyl chloride catheter, SpeediCath significantly delayed the time to first UTI in individuals with a recent spinal cord injury (SCI), study findings suggest. The daily risk of experiencing the first UTI was decreased by 50%. Use of the Speedicath hydrophilic coasted catheter reduced the number of UTIs per month by 21% in the acute care period. Continue Reading »

Robust Regeneration of Injured Nerves Achieved for First Time in Adult Mammalian Spinal Cord

BOSTON, Aug. 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Researchers for the first time have induced robust regeneration of nerve tissue connections in injured adult spinal cord sites that control voluntary movement. These findings provide hope that it may be possible to design therapies for paralysis and other impairments of motor function arising from spinal cord injury. Continue Reading »

Increasing Evidence of Stem Cells Usefulness in Spinal Cord Injury was Shown in an International Meeting

Videos displaying recovery after spinal cord injury in rats, pigs and human patients were exposed to the scientific community and government authorities. That data was exhibited last July 8 in the First Latin American International Meeting about Innovative Therapies with Autologous Stem Cells held in Buenos Aires. Continue Reading »

Robotic legs get wheelchair users walking

A new pair of robotic legs out of New Zealand lets wheelchair users do the improbable–stand, walk, and even go up and down stairs.

Users transfer themselves from their chair into the Robotic Exoskeleton (Rex) by holding on to Rex’s legs. They then strap themselves in and use a hand-controlled joystick and control pad to maneuver the battery-powered mobility-assist device on solid, stable surfaces such as those inside the home or workplace. (Rex is not designed for use on slippery or soft surfaces, or in areas containing debris or small objects such as ice, snow, sand, grass, mud, or gravel.) Continue Reading »

Social Security Disability Benefits Can Be Crucial to Surviving With Spinal Cord Injury, Allsup Reports

Enormous healthcare costs, lost income are significant barriers; Allsup outlines considerations when applying for SSDI with spinal cord impairments

Every 41 minutes a person in the United States sustains a spinal cord injury, resulting in 11,000 new cases each year, according to the United Spinal Association. Allsup, a nationwide provider of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) representation and Medicare plan selection services, recommends that when a spinal cord injury occurs—individuals begin the process of documenting the existence of the disability and its effects when medical intervention is most intense. Continue Reading »

Cranberry Concentrate Reduces Occurrence of Urinary Tract Infections in Spinal Cord Injury Patients

The results of a clinical study, recently published in the journal Spinal Cord, indicate that the use of Cran-Max(R) Cranberry Concentrate for people with spinal cord injury resulted in a significant reduction in both the incidence of urinary tract infection (UTI) and the number of subjects with a UTI over a 12-month period.  In the randomized, double-blind, cross-over trial, conducted at the Spinal Cord Injury Unit of the Veterans Administration Hospital in Boston, MA, 16 subjects had 21 UTIs while taking the placebo, compared to only six subjects who had seven UTIs while taking the Cran-Max cranberry concentrate. Continue Reading »

Therapeutic Hypothermia Is Promising Strategy To Minimize Tissue Damage

Recognition of the benefits of cooling strategies to protect the brain and spinal cord after traumatic injury has led to a wealth of cutting edge research, prime examples of which are featured in a special hypothermia issue of Journal of Neurotrauma, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. The issue will be available free online at http://www.liebertpub.com/products/product.aspx?pid=39

The issue includes a series of original articles presenting experimental and clinical evidence to support the use of modest hypothermia in specific conditions. Continue Reading »