Recovery Of Motor Function Following Spinal Cord Injury

Restoration of motor function following spinal cord injury is a complex and challenging task. By reviewing emerging cellular, pharmacological, rehabilitative, as well as surgical approaches, this book seeks to highlight promising therapeutic strategies for the repair and regeneration of motor circuitry. The multidisciplinary nature of these approaches illustrates various routes to bridging the gap between the bench and the bedside and to identify the challenges that must be overcome in order to bring about a viable therapeutic strategy for spinal cord injury patients.

Locomotor training is aiming to promote recovery after spinal cord injury via activation of the neuromuscular system below the level of the lesion

Specialised chapters about biomechanics, paediatric spinal cord injury and high cervical injuries Insight into the lived experience of individuals with a spinal cord injury Documentation of the patient journey from injury to total rehabilitation Practical information on mobility devices and returning to driving Appendix of common assessments for spinal cord injuries Includes an eBook with purchase of the print book

This comprehensive and practical reference is the perfect resource for the medical specialist treating persons with spinal cord injuries. The book provides detail about all aspects of spinal cord injury and disease. The initial seven chapters present the history, anatomy, imaging, epidemiology, and general acute management of spinal cord injury. The next eleven chapters deal with medical aspects of spinal cord damage, such as pulmonary management and the neurogenic bladder. Chapters on rehabilitation are followed by nine chapters dealing with diseases that cause non-traumatic spinal cord injury. A comprehensive imaging chapter is included with 30 figures which provide the reader with an excellent resource to understand the complex issues of imaging the spine and spinal cord.

Following injury or disease, neural circuitry can be altered to varying degrees leading to highly individualized characteristics that may or may not resemble original function. In addition, lost or partially damaged circuits and the effects of biological recovery processes coupled with learned compensatory strategies create a new neuroanatomy with capabilities that are often not functional or may interfere with daily life. To date, the majority of approaches used to treat neurological dysfunction have focused on the replacement of lost or damaged function, usually through the suppression of surviving neural activity and the application of mechanical assistive devices. Restorative Neurology of Spinal Cord Injury offers a different and novel approach. Focusing on the spinal cord and its role in motor control, the book details the clinical and neurophysiological assessment process and methods developed throughout the past half century by basic and clinical scientists. Then, through the use of specialized clinical and neurophysiological testing methods, conduction and processing performed within the surviving neural circuitry is examined and characterized in detail. Based on the results of such assessment, treatment strategies, also described in this book, are applied to augment, rather than replace, the performance of surviving neural circuitry and improve the functional capacity of people who have experienced injury to their spinal cords.

A comprehensive approach to complex challenges Here’s the foundational knowledge, skills, and understanding physical therapists need to develop and implement rehabilitation programs for persons living with spinal cord injuries. From coverage of pathology and the pathological repercussions through medical and rehabilitative management to patient and family education, students will be prepared to be effective members of the rehabilitation team. They’ll also understand the importance of psychosocial adaptation and develop insights into their roles in the process.

This book is the practical analysis of the data collected from the federally sponsored model systems of SCI care over the last twenty years. Written by leading SCI health professionals, the book reviews the collaborative studies conducted by the model systems and interprets the findings. Specific chapters deal with the management of possible complications and secondary diagnoses associated with SCI, supplying the health professional with current information to make outcome-based clinical decisions.