How to Live with Spinal Cord Injury and Osteoporosis

A free webcast and live chat presented by the New England Regional Spinal Cord Injury Center.

Monday, September 26, 2011

6:30-8:00 PM Eastern Time

6:15 PM Check-in

Many individuals with SCI have a change in their bone mass in the first year following SCI, and that risk increases over time. Research has shown that management of bone health should begin early following SCI because individuals with SCI are at a higher risk for fractures due to this decline in bone density.  Andrei Krassioukov MD, Professor, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia and Co-Director and Scientist with ICORD, will discuss the physiology and architecture of bone and the changes that take place in bone mass following SCI. He will also present the common methods for evaluation of osteoporosis following SCI and discuss the difficulties individuals with SCI face in managing osteoporosis.

To register: http://development.bmc.org/NERSCICwebcast

Developing neuroprosthetic treatments for spinal cord injury – New video from the Northwest Regional SCI System

The Northwest Regional Spinal Cord Injury System at the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle has posted a video of the presentation “Developing neuroprosthetic treatments for spinal cord injury” by Chet Moritz, PhD, assistant professor in the UW Departments of Rehabilitation Medicine and Physiology & Biophysics. Dr. Moritz conducts research in brain-computer interfaces and neuroprosthetic technology. The goal of his research is to develop systems that can bypass damaged areas of the spinal cord and restore voluntary control of movement to paralyzed muscles. In this presentation, Dr. Moritz summarizes the state of the art in this field and describes his study using brain activity to control Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) to stimulate the muscles of a paralyzed wrist. He also discusses his work using  intraspinal stimulation to generate movements of the hand and arm. Watch the video here: http://sci.washington.edu/info/forums/reports/research_moritz.asp.

SCI Model Systems researchers receive ACRM Awards

The American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM) Awards Committee announced the following awardees for 2011:

Edward Lowman Award
Gale Whiteneck, PhD, FACRM - The Rocky Mountain Regional Spinal Injury System
This award was established in 1989 in honor of Edward Lowman, MD who recognized the importance of multidisciplinary teams in rehabilitation. Dr. Whiteneck is recognized as someone whose career reflects an energetic promotion of the spirit of interdisciplinary rehabilitation.


Deborah L. Wilkerson Early Career Award in Rehabilitation Research
Deborah Backus, PhD - Southeastern Regional SCI Model System
ACRM established this award to honor Deborah L. Wilkerson, a beloved member, former President (2003), and ACRM Fellow (2005). Deborah had many interests but was particularly devoted to improving the quality of rehabilitation and independent living services for people who needed them. She had a commitment to person-centered services and was an advocate for individuals with disabilities. Dr. Backus has been selected as the 2011 awardee and will present a paper during the ACRM-ASNR Joint Education Conference. Dr. Backus is recognized as someone who is within 10 years of completion of training and has made significant contributions to rehabilitation research in their early career.

These awards will be presented Friday evening, October 14th at the Henry B. Betts Awards Gala during the ACRM-ASNR Educational Conference in Atlanta.

Setting the stage for experimental SCI treatments

How do we know if a new treatment really improves recovery? In the world of SCI recovery research, one of the challenges of conducting clinical trials is being able to tell whether any improvement in function was caused by the experimental treatment, or if the patient would have improved anyway, since most people with SCI have some natural recovery in the first year after injury.

The researchers looked at the changes in motor function that naturally occurred during the first year after injury in 1,436 individuals with tetraplegia (quadriplegia). They found that people with initially complete injuries converted to incomplete injuries at a somewhat higher rate (30%) than was previously thought, including 7.1% converting to ASIA Impairment Scale grade D. They identified neurological measures that would be appropriate outcome measures for future clinical trials. (Marino RJ, Burns S, Graves DE, et al. Upper- and lower-extremity motor recovery after traumatic cervical spinal cord injury: an update from the national spinal cord injury database. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2011 Mar;92(3):369-75.)

SCI Model Systems Research: Patients get little help for depression after spinal cord injury.

Depression is a harmful and sometimes deadly condition that affects about one in five people with spinal cord injury (SCI). Researchers at four sites in the SCI Model System (Seattle, Chicago, Ann Arbor and Birmingham, AL) found that only 29% of depressed patients were taking antidepressants and 11% had received counseling within the past three months. Far fewer had received an adequate dose of either antidepressants or counseling. The authors identified several factors that may contribute to under-treatment of depression, including poor access to medical care, embarrassment about admitting to or talking about being depressed, and limited depression screening. The study highlights the need to understand and overcome barriers to the identification and treatment of depression in this population. (Fann JR, Bombardier CH, Richards JS, et al. Depression After Spinal Cord Injury: Comorbidities, Mental Health Service Use, and Adequacy of Treatment. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 2011;92(3):352-360.)

New Consumer Information on Employment after Spinal Cord Injury

A new evidence-based consumer factsheet on Employment after Spinal Cord Injury is now available on the Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC) website at http://msktc.washington.edu/sci/factsheets/employment.asp. This document was developed by Kurt Johnson, PhD and Jim Krause, PhD in collaboration with the Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center. It has been reviewed by SCI consumers and endorsed by the SCI Model System directors. 

Consumer Information on Spasticity and Spinal Cord Injury

A new evidence-based consumer factsheet on Spasticity and Spinal Cord Injury is now available on the Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC) website at http://msktc.washington.edu/sci/factsheets/spasticity.asp. This document was developed by Rina Reyes, MD and Anthony Chiodo, MD in collaboration with the Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center and has been reviewed by SCI consumers and endorsed by the SCI Model System directors.