The Buoniconti Fund and National Spinal Cord Injury Association (NSCIA), intend to jointly implement a coordinated national network of local support groups called the Spinal Network. Together, the Spinal Network will establish consistent standards for local groups wishing to provide support for the people living with Spinal Cord Injury and Disorders (SCI/D), with an emphasis upon groups that promote independence and active lifestyle community integration. Continue Reading »
Maintaining health can prevent secondary complications from developing, new book says
oanne Smith and Kylie James knew that diet plays a significant role in the health of people with neurological disorders. But they couldn’t find published material to that back knowledge up.
So Smith, a registered nutritionist with a spinal cord injury, and James, a nutritionist and occupational therapist specializing in neurological disorders, decided to produce a book themselves. They did it with a grant from the Paralyzed Veterans of America. Continue Reading »
New Brunswick, NJ – Walking is the obvious goal for individuals who have a chronic spinal cord injury, but it is not the only one. Regaining sensation and continence control also are important goals that can positively impact an individual’s quality of life. New hope for reversing the effects of spinal cord injury may be found in a combination of stem cell therapy and physical therapy as reported in Cell Transplantation by scientists at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Continue Reading »
During the past four years, important New York State funding for the Spinal Cord Injury Research Program (SCIRP) have been diverted to offset the New York State budget deficit. The end result has been a loss of support for:
New cutting-edge therapies for New Yorkers with spinal cord injuries;
Funding for recruitment of spinal cord research scientists;
Training new new spinal cord injury physicians and scientists; and
New inventions and technology for spinal cord injury therapies and treatment.
SCIRP has been funded through a law that stipulates a surcharge on those convicted of moving traffic violations since 1998. The statute stipulates that the program be funded through a new surcharge on moving traffic violations. If you speed in New York State, a surcharge goes into a trust fund for spinal cord research. As moving violations account for many spinal cord injuries, this funding mechanism is appropriate and vital. Continue Reading »
Published: August 24, 2012 | Category: Information
The nervous system is a complex collection of nerves and specialized cells known as neurons that transmit signals between different parts of the body. Vertebrates — animals with backbones and spinal columns — have central and peripheral nervous systems.
The central nervous system is made up of the brain, spinal cord and retina. The peripheral nervous system consists of sensory neurons, ganglia (clusters of neurons) and nerves that connect to one another and to the central nervous system. Continue Reading »
The most common types of spinal cord injury are contusions and compressions. Unlike most other parts of the human body that get contused (bruised) or compressed (pressured), the spinal cord when so affected can lead to severe and permanent dysfunction. Spinal contusions occur when the spinal cord is bruised, often causing inflammation and bleeding from blood vessels near the injury site. Spinal compressions occur when pressure is applied to the spinal cord by an outside source, such as bones, from a vertebral fracture, or blood, from an adjacent hematoma. Since the spinal cord is composed of neural pathways that cannot regenerate once they are destroyed, spinal contusions and compressions can lead to permanent paralysis. Spinal contusions and compressions are usually medical emergencies, requiring immediate treatment. Continue Reading »
A new approach to nerve repair has restored breathing to rats with spinal cord injury.
Scientists believe the same technique could help human patients who have to rely on ventilators, leaving them vulnerable to dangerous infections.
“We’ve shown for the very first time that robust, long distance regeneration can restore function of the respiratory system fully,” said lead researcher Professor Jerry Silver, from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, US.
The researchers used a section of peripheral nerve to “bridge” a break in the spinal cord which had paralysed half the diaphragm, the sheet-like muscle that enables breathing. Continue Reading »
Patrick Stroman’s work mapping the function and information processing of the spinal cord could improve treatment for spinal cord injuries.
“Basic physiology books describe the spinal cord as a relay system, but it’s part of the central nervous system and processes information just like parts of the brain do,” explains Dr. Stroman, director of the Queen’s MRI Facility and Canada Research Chair in Imaging Physics.
Dr. Stroman’s research is directed at precisely mapping the areas above and below a spinal cord injury in order to better determine the precise nature of an injury and the effectiveness of subsequent treatment. When medical research has advanced to a point where clinicians are able to bridge an injury on a spinal cord, Dr. Stroman’s spinal mapping technique will be key in accurately pinpointing the injury to be bridged. Continue Reading »
Published: February 20, 2011 | Category: FeaturedNews
Canadian Morgan Van Breda is cycling from Delhi to Kanyakumari to raise awareness about spinal cord injury, and funds for her own treatment
Thirty two year-old Morgan Van Breda is cycling across India — with her hands. The ambitious young Canadian was only 24 when a soccer post collapsed on her back while she was in Cuba, turning her into a paraplegic.
Now, she is on a 3,900 km, seven-week journey from Agra to Kanyakumari on a handcyle, raising awareness about spinal cord injury, and funds for breakthrough stem cell research that may allow her to walk again. Continue Reading »
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Maintaining health can prevent secondary complications from developing, new book says
New Brunswick, NJ – Walking is the obvious goal for individuals who have a chronic spinal cord injury, but it is not the only one. Regaining sensation and continence control also are important goals that can positively impact an individual’s quality of life. New hope for reversing the effects of spinal cord injury may be found in a combination of stem cell therapy and physical therapy as reported in Cell Transplantation by scientists at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. 
The nervous system is a complex collection of nerves and specialized cells known as neurons that transmit signals between different parts of the body. Vertebrates — animals with backbones and spinal columns — have central and peripheral nervous systems.
A new approach to nerve repair has restored breathing to rats with spinal cord injury.
Patrick Stroman’s work mapping the function and information processing of the spinal cord could improve treatment for spinal cord injuries.
Canadian Morgan Van Breda is cycling from Delhi to Kanyakumari to raise awareness about spinal cord injury, and funds for her own treatment