Recently in spinal cord injury Category

Every 48 minutes, another person in the United States will become paralyzed.  That is simply unacceptable. The Miami Project & Buoniconti Fund has made it their mission to advance research towards curing paralysis.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) occurs when the spinal cord becomes damaged, most commonly, when motor vehicle accidents, falls, acts of violence, and sporting accidents fracture vertebrae and crush or transect the spinal cord. According to the National SCI Statistical Center (NSCISC), 12,000 new traumatic spinal cord injuries each year in the USA; approximately 80.7% occur in men in the USA. There are also approximately 232,000 to 316,000 people in the USA living with chronic SCI, caused by a trauma, and the average age at the time of injury is 40.7 years old.

In 1985, Barth A. Green, M.D. and NFL Hall of Fame linebacker Nick Buoniconti helped found The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis after Nick's son, Marc, sustained a spinal cord injury during a college football game. Today, The Miami Project is the world's most comprehensive spinal cord injury research center, housed in the Lois Pope LIFE Center, a Center of Excellence at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. The Miami Project's international team of more than 200 scientists, researchers and clinicians take innovative approaches to the challenge of spinal cord injury.

The goal of the campaign is to ask "Will You Stand Up For Those Who Can't?"  The intent is to create a national conversation about the devastation of paralysis, and to bring this condition to the forefront of public awareness.

"Paralysis does not discriminate.  People need to realize that paralysis can happen to anyone at any time," said Nick Buoniconti.  "But the reality of today's statistics can't be disputed.  Every 48 minutes another person in the U.S. will become paralyzed. That is simply unacceptable. Each of us must do what we can to make a difference.  I am personally asking you, will you stand up for those who can't and do one or more of the following?"

At the present time, neither Miami Project researchers nor any other scientist can predict when human trials to promote regeneration in the spinal cord will lead to a cure. The steps for moving a discovery from an idea in the laboratory to a treatment that can be tested in human trials are many. Researchers must gather sufficient proof of functional recovery in animal studies to justify the use of a treatment in human trials. They also need to demonstrate that the results can be repeated in independent laboratories and that the treatment works when tested in larger and chronically injured animals. In addition, to test a treatment in clinical trial, the proposed trial needs to be approved by regulatory agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The total process is incredibly time consuming and expensive, but it is essential to develop reliable cure therapies that can be used in the greatest number of people with predictable beneficial results.

Each of us must promise to do something to help create a national conversation about what it means to be paralyzed and the urgent need to find this cure. Help spread the word during the month of September to raise awareness for both those deal with a spinal cord injury and to support The Miami Project as the fight to find a cure. You can like their Facebook Page, follow them on Twitter, and even donate! Check out this remarkable video:

Whenever you need a good cry, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition never fails. Their stories are so touching and uplifting, you can't help but to be moved to tears. This past Sunday's episode was no different. This episode featured the Hall Family from Kansas. The family of six was hit hard by tragedy on June 26, 2010, when a car accident left dad, Carl, paralyzed from the shoulders down, leaving him a quadriplegic. Wheelchair bound for the rest of his life, Carl depended on Sip-n-Puff technology to maneuver.

Carl was a baseball star at Wichita State, and later went on to play semi-professional baseball and coach his son's baseball team. The accident robbed him of his passion and the special bond of baseball with his son, Logan. Brent Bushnell of Syyn Labs worked with the design team to create a special machine that would allow him to use sip-n-puff technology to control a pitching machine to make it possible for him to pitch to Logan again.

"Sip-n-puff is like mores code. A long puff and a short puff mean something. Stitch them together to create its own little language" says Brent. "When creating this special machine, we designed it to recognize one short puff to control speeds, and one long puff sets it up to fire the ball." This ultimately allowed Carl to pitch either a fast ball, curve ball, slide ball, etc. to Logan. "I never thought it would be possible to pitch to my son again" Carl said with such appreciation for returning to his two biggest loves - baseball and his son. "I'm actually playing sports with my Dad again. It makes me so happy" exclaimed Logan.

It's amazing to see such a deserving family receive what they need to help them move forward from such a tragedy. They have such a great perspective on life - turning lemons into lemonade. "We're just making lemonade", explained Carl, "you get handed something that may not be the best, but you can do something with it." To remind the family daily of their lemonade story, the design team completed their home with a bright yellow, lemonade-themed kitchen. Incredibly inspiring.

To see the full episode, click here - I highly recommend it!

We are watching the progress of eLEGS, unveiled by Berkeley Bionics last fall, very closely. It is going to revolutionize quality of life for many people who are paralyzed. 

Watch this short video and see for yourself how new eLEGS test pilot, Sarah Anderson, takes her very first steps at Berkeley Bionics. According to the company, Sarah progressed quickly from a walker to crutches. Read more about Sarah and her story on Empowered, the official blog of Berkeley Bionics.

In December, CNN named eLEGS as the #3 Innovation of 2010, topped only by electric cars, and of course Apple's IPad, which secured the #1 spot for innovation in 2010.

And another brief video shows testing in progress at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta just a few weeks ago:

 

According to a press release issued in October 2010, Berkeley Bionics strives to provide the 6 million Americans who are living with paralysis today "unprecedented mobility options." For the past 500 years or so, options for paraplegics have been limited to wheelchairs. Berkeley Bionics' CEO, Eythor Bender, says "We want to enhance their independence and freedom of movement, and with eLEGS, they can stand up and walk for the first time since their injury."

The press release states that the eLEGS device can be adjusted to fit most people between 5'2" and 6'4" who weigh 220 lbs or less, in a matter of minutes. Users must be able to self-transfer from their wheelchair.

And finally, read more about eLEGS in an article post from TIME's Healthland titled "Bionic Legs Allow Paraplegics to Get Up and Walk."  

As it exists now, communication with machines has always been limited to conscious and direct forms through physical commands we conduct. For example, switching on a household light doesn't take an expression of one's feelings or emotions -- it's a simple command when we flip a light switch. However, for someone with a life-altering injury, these simple commands aren't quite as simple.

Emotiv Systems is a neuroengineering company whose vision is to revolutionize human-computer input. Based on the latest developments in neuro-technology, they have created an innovative new personal interface for human computer interaction. The Emotiv EPOC is a high resolution, neuro-signal acquisition and processing wireless neuroheadset. Mouthful, right? It uses a set of sensors to tune into electric signals produced by the brain to detect an individual's thoughts, feelings and expressions and connects wirelessly to most computing applications or devices.

All this fancy jargon for a fancy toy, but what's the significance to us? It's HUGE! For an individual who is wheelchair bound with limited function of their extremities, being able to instruct the lights to turn on or electric-track curtains to close, with merely thinking about it, is pivotal. This puts a whole new light on Environmental Control Units within an injured person's home.

What's cooler? This technology can be devised to, through the power of the mind, steer and drive a wheelchair. For a complete quadriplegic, this provides a freedom their injury once stole from them. This TED talk video of Tan Le, co-founder and president of Emotiv, shows the remarkable advances they have already made. She demonstrates live on stage someone using this technology of thought. Of particular interest, once the video gets to the 9:00 minute mark, she demostrates a real-life example of this technology with someone in a wheelchair. Incredible? I know!

 

It's always difficult to see anyone battle with an unexpected injury, but it is especially gut-wrenching when it's a child.

Caden Epps was only 2 years old when he was involved in a tragic accident in March 2010 leaving him paralyzed from the neck down. Little Caden darted out into traffic on a busy road and was struck by an oncoming vehicle. He was quickly airlifted to Halifax Medical Center in Daytona, FL and later transferred to Shands Children's Hospital in Gainesville, FL. The surgery to fuse together his 1st four vertebrae was a success, however, his recovery efforts would be long and very costly, as you can imagine.

Once the community heard of this unfortunate story, they quickly rallied behind the family in an effort to raise funds for Caden to get the help he needed -- and deserved! The Orlando Rage, a local semi-professional football team owned by Christopher Morrison of Pratt & Morrison, PA, held a charity game to raise funds for his rehabilitation therapy and for a special therapeutic chair -- none of which would be otherwise covered by insurance. Caden's father, Chad Epps, is also a player for the Rage.

After a successful fundraising event, Total Mobility and Modifications, TMS' sister company who also works with private pay, was contacted to help fulfill the need for Caden's new "toy" -- a mobile stander. Caden was "super stoked" when he first got into the chair. In addition to the benefits of standing, he was also able to move around and interact with other kids.

Here's a video of our Assistive Technology Specialist, Chris Rea, as he helped Caden into his chair for the first time. 

 

Step It Up Recovery, in Sanford, FL came along side the Epps family to continue the intense therapy Caden needed. Because of their efforts, Caden has regained the use of his arms -- something doctors said would be impossible.

To make a donation to Step It Up for Caden, simply visit their website.

See some of the remarkable progress in this video of Caden running on a treadmill with the help of the dedicated staff at Step It Up. Grab a few tissues before hitting play!

So, you've heard of rehabilitation therapy, but have you heard of Wii-habilitation therapy? Wii-habilitation therapy is a growing trend with doctors and physical therapists using the popular Nintendo Wii games as a method of rehabilitation for their patients. The muscles used while playing the Wii games are a lot like the exercises used in traditional physical and rehabilitation therapies, but it's a lot more fun and engaging for the patient. And, the added level of competition that comes with the Wii games encourages patients to push themselves farther, without feeling like it's hard work. So, the rehabilitation process often takes less time. Patients are motivated by the games and see the benefits right away. Games such as Guitar Hero, golf, tennis, boxing and bowling are among the most popular games used for Wii-habilitation. 

Scientists have progressed in efforts to channel brain waves to control mechanical devices. It is a technique that may help people who are paralyzed regain mobility. It sounds like something you'd see in the popular movie Avatar. But, it is animals like Rhesus monkeys - not the Na'vi of Pandora - who provide the mental powers in the labs of Miguel Nicolelis, neurobiologist at Duke University. The brain waves of these monkeys are harnessed to make robots move. Read more about this story as it appeared recently on the WSJ Health Blog in a post called "Mind Walk". Be sure to watch the video -- it shows rats with completely severed spinal cords able to walk again and support their full weight.

Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital incorporates swimming with dolphins as part of a unique aquatic rehabilitation program for paraplegics and quadriplegics. Stephanie Godsea, a physical therapist at Jackson says "We have a whole swim program for outpatients," as reported by the Miami Herald last week. "Patients come once a week and at the end of the summer they can swim with the dolphins. This is like their graduation." Read the entire article A kiss from a dolphin brings therapy, smiles. Be sure to watch the video clip. The Miami hospital has been organizing the rehab therapy swim with the dolphin trips for seven years and even coordinates fundraising to pay for the trips.

Musculoskeletal and Connective Tissue Disorders Leading Driver of Disabilty Claims

A recent study by the Council for Disability Awareness found that companies paid more than $8 billion in ongoing disability insurance payments to individuals in 2009, including a record 627,000 individuals on long-term disability.

The study, titled 2010 CDA Long-Term Disability Claims Review, highlights some very interesting statistics. Here are a few tidbits:

• musculoskeletal/connective tissue disorders continue to rank as the leading cause of disability
• cancer is the second leading cause of new claims, but fourth leading cause in existing claims
• little to no evidence that the current economic situation has impacted claims in any significant way
• disabled worker population shows dramatic growth; e.g. the number of disabled workers receiving SSDI payments continues to dramatically outpace growth in overall covered worker population
• women and disability: 78% increase in the number of female workers getting SSDI payments over past decade vs. 46% increase in disabled male workers

Risk and Insurance online offers this related article about the study Increase in Disability Claims Driven by Musculoskeletal Disorders.

Social Networking and Workers' Comp?

Our friends at Workers' Comp Insider share some insight on how social networking intersects the world of workers' compensation and the law in their blog post titled Social networking, workers' comp & the law. A very interesting read with references and links to other resources and a video clip offering an overview of how social media is changing the way we connect.

 

 

MedGadget.com recently highlighted a unique nose-controlled wheelchair designed to help severely disabled individuals. It may enable people with severe disabilities to navigate wheelchairs and communicate with their loved ones. The technology that powers the chair? Sniffing -- inhaling and exhaling through the nose. Read Nose Controlled Wheelchair for Severely Disabled.