Topics in spinal cord injury rehabilitation
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Top Spinal Cord Inj Rehabil · Jan 2014
Health care provider practices, barriers, and facilitators for weight management for individuals with spinal cord injuries and disorders.
Even though weight management is essential for the health of individuals with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI/D), little is known about current practices, barriers, and facilitators. ⋯ Weight management programs delivered through the SCI team, with peers and SCI-relevant content, are likely more acceptable and beneficial to individuals with SCI/D. Program classrooms should provide ample space for individuals with SCI/D.
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Top Spinal Cord Inj Rehabil · Jan 2014
Review of cross-cultural issues related to quality of life after spinal cord injury.
Quality of life (QOL) is a dynamic concept that means different things to different people, both in the general public and within the research community. Because of this, a common definition of QOL has been hard to achieve. This article reviews cross-cultural issues related to QOL research in spinal cord injury (SCI). ⋯ A comparison between data from 2 countries (United States and Brazil) using the International SCI QOL Basic Data Set shows similarities in scores and good reliability in the Brazilian sample. Substantial, significant correlations were observed among the SCI QOL Basic Data Set items and the WHOQOL-BREF within the US sample. The article ends with a set of recommendations for the development of cross-cultural measures of QOL for use in the SCI population.
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Top Spinal Cord Inj Rehabil · Jan 2013
Cerebral activation during the test of spinal cord injury severity in children: an FMRI methodological study.
The International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI) are internationally accepted to determine and classify the extent of motor and sensory impairment along with severity (ASIA Impairment Scale [AIS]) following spinal cord injury (SCI). The anorectal examination is a component of the ISNCSCI that determines injury severity. There is a void in the health care literature on the validity of the anorectal examination as an indication of SCI severity. ⋯ Preliminary findings indicate that fMRI is a useful tool in evaluating the validity of the anorectal examination in determining SCI severity. Assessment of which cortical regions are activated during the testing procedure provides an indication of which pathways are transmitting information to the brain.
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Top Spinal Cord Inj Rehabil · Jan 2013
Neuropathic pain post spinal cord injury part 2: systematic review of dorsal root entry zone procedure.
Pharmacotherapy may not sufficiently reduce neuropathic pain in many individuals post spinal cord injury (SCI). The use of alternative therapies such as surgery may be effective in reducing neuropathic pain in these individuals. However, because of the invasive nature of surgery, it is important to examine the evidence for use of this treatment. ⋯ The studies demonstrated that the DREZ procedure may be effective in reducing segmental pain. Hence, DREZ may be important in treatment of neuropathic pain in individuals resistant to less invasive treatments. Because the studies lacked control conditions and examination of long-term effects, there is a need for larger trials with more stringent conditions.
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Top Spinal Cord Inj Rehabil · Jan 2013
Neuropathic pain post spinal cord injury part 1: systematic review of physical and behavioral treatment.
Neuropathic pain has various physiologic and psychosocial aspects. Hence, there is a growing use of adjunct nonpharmacological therapy with traditional pharmacotherapy to reduce neuropathic pain post spinal cord injury (SCI). ⋯ Physical interventions demonstrated the strongest evidence based on quality of studies and numbers of RCTs in the nonpharmacological treatment of post-SCI pain. Of these interventions, transcranial electrical stimulation had the strongest evidence of reducing pain. Despite a growing body of literature, there is still a significant lack of research on the use of nonpharmacological therapies for SCI pain.