Specialized therapy center is at the heart of foundation’s work

The Michael-Ryan Pattison Foundation, formerly A Cure is Coming, is the legacy of the inspirational effort of a healing community of friends who supported Woodinville resident Michael-Ryan Pattison and his family following his paralyzing injury in 2005. Pattison is convinced that the fact that he is alive today is directly related to his friends’ commitment.

He says, “I was graced to have a supportive community embrace me when this tragedy occurred, but there are many others who do not. The Michael-Ryan Pattison Foundation was created for them and it’s our mission to improve the quality of life for children and adults who become suddenly disabled, as I did.” Continue Reading »

3 with local ties inducted

Dr. James S. Krause, Harriet McBryde Johnson and Marc Buoniconti

Three of this year’s 19 inductees into the Spinal Cord Injury Hall of Fame have Lowcountry connections.

Dr. James S. Krause, scientific director of the South Carolina Spinal Cord Injury Research Fund, was among those honored Monday. The research fund is financed through $100 surcharges attached to DUI convictions.

“I want people in South Carolina to feel good about what they’re doing,” Krause said of the state Legislature’s adoption of the fund seven years ago. Continue Reading »

Disabled vet honored

Scott Cannedy receives veteran appreciation plaque from Jackson Center for Independent Living

Scott Cannedy was on a secret mission with the Green Berets in 1985 when he suffered a spinal cord injury that paralyzed him for life.

Cannedy describes himself as a “C3-C4 quadriplegic,” which means his spinal cord was damaged at the third Vertebrae. He can only shrug his shoulders and move his head. He uses his chin to steer his motorized wheelchair and has to have help to eat, shower and dress. Continue Reading »

Stem-cell therapy in Moscow attracting patients from West

MOSCOW — Every three months, David Martin, a quadriplegic, returns to a small clinic here in the Russian capital for therapy he cannot legally get back home in Kalamazoo, Mich.: injections of stem cells taken from his own body, at a cost of $12,000 per visit.

Martin’s U.S. doctors have tried to dissuade him from believing any improvement in his condition could be the byproduct of stem-cell treatments, a therapy not yet approved in the United States. No scientific evidence has ever shown that such treatments can repair human spinal-cord injuries, experts say.

Yet Martin notices glints of progress — a twinge of sensation in one of his curled, still hands, a faraway feel of something cold on his skin. He attributes it to the stem-cell treatments he has been getting in Moscow. Continue Reading »

Peer-Reviewed Flexiciser Clinical Trials Published by the Journal for Spinal Cord Medicine

Carlsbad, CA, November 08, 2008 –(PR.com)– Flexiciser International which provides movement therapy solutions for people with mobility challenges today announced that its Clinical Trials have been published by the Journal for Spinal Cord Medicine. The Clinical Trials were completed by Dr. Todd Astorino, member of the Board of Directors of the American Society of Exercise Physiologists, and in collaboration with the Kinesiology Department at California State University San Marcos, and Project Walk Spinal Cord Injury Recovery Clinic. The results of this latest study demonstrate immediate benefits in Heart Rate, Blood Pressure, Ratings of Perceived Exertion and Oxygen Uptake. Continue Reading »

Lawsuit claims school board, others negligent

DURHAM — The family of an injured teen wrestler, now confined to a wheelchair, is seeking $65 million in damages.

The statement of claim filed by the Box family alleges negligence on behalf of the defendants. The claims have not been proven in court, but include allegations that Michael Box was moved after he sustained his injury during the wrestling match.

The defendants “failed to observe the cardinal rule of injury care being not to move an injured student . . .” says the statement of claim, filed in Whitby. Continue Reading »

Paralyzed vet finds freedom donning a wet suit

Rio Rancho, N.M. — Jim Hay knows a thing or two about adventure and he certainly isn’t one to shy away from a challenge.

So he was more than ready to pull on a wet suit, strap on a tank, gear and goggles and head into the deep end of the pool during a scuba diving excursion at the Rio Rancho Aquatic Center.

“You are really flying underwater. It’s an amazing feeling,” said Hay, a Vietnam veteran from Albuquerque. “It wasn’t really scary, it was more exciting. It is just relaxing, fun and it’s totally awesome.” Continue Reading »

Warnings about stem cell therapy tourism

MARK COLVIN: Australian scientists are worried about what they describe as a growing industry of stem cell tourism.

More and more people suffering spinal cord injuries, paralysis, cancer and other conditions are travelling to India and China for stem cell treatment.

One Indian Doctor who offers foreign patients embryonic stem cell therapy is speaking at a fundraising event in Melbourne tomorrow night. Continue Reading »

Mind power moves paralysed limbs

Scientists have shown it is possible to harness brain signals and redirect them to make paralysed limbs move.

The technology bypasses injuries that stop nerve signals travelling from the brain to the muscles, offering hope for people with spinal damage.

So far the US team from the University of Washington have only tested their “brain-machine interfaces” in monkeys.

The hope is to develop implantable circuits for humans without the need for robotic limbs, Nature reports. Continue Reading »

Brain Training for Spinal Cord Injury

Scientists at the University of Washington in Seattle report success in their first attempts to harness the brain to treat paralysis in people with spinal cord injuries.

Their technique isn’t ready for patients yet, but researcher Chet Moritz, PhD, says it may one day be used to help paralyzed people walk.

“We haven’t studied that directly, so it’s all speculation on my part, but certainly it’s possible in the next 10-20 years,” Moritz said at a news conference. Continue Reading »