Gait initiation with electromyographically triggered electrical stimulation in people with partial paralysis.
Functional electrical stimulation (FES) facilitates ambulatory function after paralysis by activating the muscles of the lower extremities. Individuals with incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI) retain partial volitional control of muscles below the level of injury, necessitating careful integration of FES with intact voluntary motor function for efficient walking. The FES-assisted stepping can be triggered automatically [...]
Paralyzed Rats Walk Again, Raising Hope for Humans
An experiment that has helped paralyzed rats to walk again has raised new hopes for patients with spinal cord injury. Researchers used a combination of drug therapy, electrical stimulation and exercise training to enable rats with spinal cord injuries to walk and support their body weight, according to the study, which was published this week [...]
Effects of Hand Cycle Training on Physical Capacity in Individuals With Tetraplegia: A Clinical Trial
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a structured hand cycle training program in individuals with chronic tetraplegia. Twenty-two patients with tetraplegia (American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale classification A-D) at least 2 years since injury participated. The intervention was an 8- to 12-week hand cycle interval training program. Primary outcomes [...]
Spinal advance gets rats running
Hopes that people with spinal injuries could one day regain leg movement have been raised by research in rats. US, Russian and Swiss scientists used drugs and electrical stimulation to train the animals, whose spinal cords had been cut, to run on a treadmill. Their movement was “almost indistinguishable” from normal steps, they said. The [...]
Activity-based restorative therapies: concepts and applications in spinal cord injury-related neurorehabilitation.
Sadowsky CL, McDonald JW Physical rehabilitation following spinal cord injury-related paralysis has traditionally focused on teaching compensatory techniques, thus enabling the individual to achieve day-to-day function despite significant neurological deficits. But the concept of an irreparable central nervous system (CNS) is slowly being replaced with evidence related to CNS plasticity, repair, and regeneration, all related [...]
Effects of Hand Cycle Training on Physical Capacity in Individuals With Tetraplegia: A Clinical Trial.
Valent LJ, Dallmeijer AJ, Houdijk H, Slootman HJ, Janssen TW, Post MW, van der Woude LH The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a structured hand cycle training program in individuals with chronic tetraplegia. Twenty-two patients with tetraplegia at least 2 years since injury participated in an 8- to 12-week hand [...]
The effect of rhythmic auditory stimulation on the gait parameters of patients with incomplete spinal cord injury: an exploratory pilot study
de L'etoile S Aim: to study the effects of rhythmic auditory cueing on gait parameters in patients with incomplete spinal cord injury Method : repeated measure design involving 17 participants. Patients completed four, 10m walk tests each under different 'cueing' conditions. Results : Mean scores for cadence and velocity decreased with rhythmical cueing at normal [...]
The Effects of Tone-Reducing Orthotics on Walking of an Individual After Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury.
Nash B, Roller J, Parker M The aim of this study was to investigate whether tone-reducing orthotics have an effect on gait; including EMG activity, velocity, step length, double stance time and Functional Ambulatory scores. This study was based on an individual with incomplete SCI and spasticity. The subject was a 25 year old male [...]
Decrease of hypertonia after continuous passive motion treatment in individuals with spinal cord injury.
Chang YJ, Fang CY, Hsu MJ, Lien HY, Wong MK The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of ankle continuous passive motion on the reflex excitability and overall hypertonia of calf muscles in individuals with chronic spinal cord injury and without physical disabilities. The spinal cord injury group comprised eight individuals with [...]
The effect of hippotherapy on spasticity and on mental well-being of persons with spinal cord injury.
Lechner HE, Kakebeeke TH, Hegemann D, Baumberger M The aim of the study was to determine the effect of hippotherapy on spasticity and on mental well-being of persons with spinal cord injury (SCI), and to compare it with the effects of other interventions. A volunteer sample of 12 people with spastic SCI (American Spinal Injury [...]
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