Category Archives: Spinal Cord Injury Treatment

Sept. 29, 2013, 3 a.m. Doctors are calling for chiropractors to stop treating children after a Melbourne infant's neck was broken during a chiropractic adjustment that went horribly wrong. Melbourne paediatrician Chris Pappas said he cared for a four-month-old baby last year after one of her vertebrae was fractured during a chiropractic treatment for torticollis - a wry neck, which is usually harmless in babies. He said the infant, who was rushed to Monash Medical Centre for treatment, was lucky to make a full recovery. ''It was a very fine line. Another few millimetres and there would have been a devastating spinal cord injury and the baby would have either died or had severe neurological impairment with quadriplegia. Everybody was very nervous about this little baby,'' he said. Dr Pappas complained about the treatment to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, which referred the case to the Chiropractic Board of Australia - the body charged with public protection and setting care standards. Three weeks ago, he received a letter from AHPRA saying the case had been privately investigated and closed after the chiropractor committed to completing education in paediatric chiropractic. The letter said the board had considered the patient's records … Continue reading →

Hands-on: A Facebook photo of chiropractic manipulation. Photo: Supplied Doctors are calling for chiropractors to stop treating children after a Melbourne infant's neck was broken during a chiropractic adjustment that went horribly wrong. Melbourne paediatrician Chris Pappas said he cared for a four-month-old baby last year after one of her vertebrae was fractured during a chiropractic treatment for torticollis - a wry neck, which is usually harmless in babies. He said the infant, who was rushed to Monash Medical Centre for treatment, was lucky to make a full recovery. Another few millimetres and there would have been a devastating spinal cord injury and the baby would have either died or had severe neurological impairment with quadriplegia. Everybody was very nervous about this little baby ''It was a very fine line. Another few millimetres and there would have been a devastating spinal cord injury and the baby would have either died or had severe neurological impairment with quadriplegia. Everybody was very nervous about this little baby,'' he said. Warning: Dr Chris Pappas is a paediatrician from Monash Medical Centre. Photo: Jason South Dr Pappas complained about the treatment to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, which referred the case to the … Continue reading →

Javascript is currently disabled in your web browser. For full site functionality, it is necessary to enable Javascript. In order to enable it, please see these instructions. 7 hours ago A worldwide study into best practice accommodation design for people living with an acquired brain or spinal cord injury has been released today. Speaking at the National Acquired Brain Injury Conference in Melbourne, CEO of the Institute for Safety, Compensation and Recovery Research (ISCRR), Professor Niki Ellis, today announced the study as part of ISCRR's flagship Smart Independent Living Environments (SmILE) initiative. "This study is the first step in a research project aiming to provide evidence to drive improvement in the design of dwellings and how support is best offered to people with acquired brain or spinal cord injury," Professor Ellis. The study was led by Dean of Monash University's Faculty of Art Design & Architecture (MADA), Professor Shane Murray with the support of ISCRR. Professor Murray is an award-winning architect and academic specialising in research into contemporary housing and urban design issues. SmILE is a five year research program designed to improve the independence of people with a disability through innovations in accommodation, assistive technology and support services, such … Continue reading →

WEST ORANGE, NJ--(Marketwired - Sep 26, 2013) - The Neuroimaging Center at Kessler Foundation celebrates its grand opening on September 26. Kessler Foundation is now the only freestanding rehabilitation facility in the U.S. with a rehabilitation research-dedicated neuroimaging center. "Our state-of-the-art Neuroimaging Center is designed to accelerate the pace of translational research that improves quality of life for individuals with physical and cognitive disabilities caused by neurological illness and injuries," said Rodger DeRose, president and chief executive officer of Kessler Foundation. "This new facility greatly expands our potential for collaborative projects with academic and research institutions in the U.S. and abroad." The $6 million Neuroimaging Center is equipped with a powerful state-of-the-art 3T Siemens Skyra Scanner that is approved for scanning of the brain and spinal cord for Foundation research studies. With capabilities for structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), functional MRI (fMRI) and MR spectroscopy, researchers can gather information on the structure, tissue, density, and integrity of brain matter, evaluate damage to the spinal cord, and assess degree of neurorecovery. fMRI enables researchers to determine how the brain or spinal cord functions while a research participant is thinking or performing a task. "Neuroimaging is one of the only objective ways … Continue reading →

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --BioAxone BioSciences Inc. announced today publication of clinical data showing motor recovery scores in spinal cord injury patients treated with Cethrin. Cethrin is an innovative biologic drug with a regenerative mechanism of action designed specifically to treat spinal cord injury, a devastating condition with no current effective treatment. In addition, Lisa McKerracher, Ph.D., CEO of BioAxone, presented the new data at the at the National Neurotrauma Meeting held in Nashville, TN in July, and at BioPharm America in Boston, MA last week. The Journal of Neurotrauma article reveals the potential of Cethrin to promote recoveryof upper body movement in quadriplegic patients through analysis of neurological recovery of treated patients compared to standard recovery noted in current spinal cord registries and historical data. The Cethrin clinical trial was an open-label Phase I/IIa trial undertaken to assess the safety, tolerability, and neurological status of acute spinal cord injury patients treated with escalating doses of Cethrin. Dr. McKerracher stated, "To date, no other therapy has shown such promising increases in upper extremity motor score. In the United States, 75% of spinal cord injury is cervical, meaning patients are paralyzed from the neck down. Even small amounts of … Continue reading →

ARDSLEY, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. (ACOR) today announced that the first patient has been enrolled in a trial of AC105, its proprietary magnesium formulation for the treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI). This Phase 2 trial will evaluate the safety and tolerability of the drug in people with traumatic SCI, and also incorporates several exploratory efficacy measures. In preclinical studies, AC105 improved motor function in SCI when therapy was initiated within a few hours after injury, said Andrew R. Blight, Ph.D., Acorda Therapeutics Chief Scientific Officer. Spinal cord injuries often result in severe, lifelong disability, so were excited to explore the potential to improve outcomes for people who suffer these very serious injuries. Magnesiums neuroprotective properties are well established in the laboratory; however, the tolerable dosage range in the clinic is relatively narrow, which has made it a challenge to develop a practical therapy. Preclinical research shows that AC105s formulation helps deliver magnesium to the injury site within the CNS, thereby providing a protective effect, but without requiring higher levels in the blood, which might result in significant side effects. The primary objective of this double-blind, randomized and placebo controlled study is to evaluate the safety and tolerability of … Continue reading →

Its a jarring sight as you walk past the tourist destinations and high-end stores around Rockefeller Center: Christopher Reeves empty mechanized wheelchair sitting in an empty shop window. Superman would have turned 61 tomorrow if he hadnt suffered a severe neck injury from a horse-riding accident in 1995 that left him paralyzed. Reeve died in 2004. As part of Spinal Cord Awareness Month (since the beginning of September), Reeves wheelchair has sat as a stark reminder of what he endured after his ill-fated accident, but more importantly as a symbol of hope. His Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation has funded research that has advanced the treatment of spinal cord injuries, of which almost 1.3 million Americans are affected. The window display aims to call attention to the advances made in spinal-cord injury research and treatment, which has helped many people regain some semblance of normal functionfar more than was available to Reeve when he was injured. The space, at 10 Rockefeller Plaza, was donated by healthcare firm EHE International, while BBDO New York stepped in to design the display as a donation to the effort. We share Christopher Reeves dream of empty wheelchairs and will do everything within our power … Continue reading →

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- InVivo Therapeutics Holdings Corp. (NVIV), a drug delivery company with a focus on groundbreaking technologies for thetreatment of spinal cord injuries(SCI) and neurotrauma conditions, today announced that Brian Luque, Director of Investor Relations, is scheduled to present at the 2013 Aegis Healthcare Conference to be held September 25-28, 2013 at The Encore at Wynn Las Vegas. The Companys presentation will be on Thursday, September 26th at 2:00 p.m. PDT. About InVivo Therapeutics InVivo Therapeutics Holdings Corp. is focused on utilizing polymers as a platform technology to develop treatments for serious diseases and conditions, including improving function in individuals paralyzed as a result of traumatic spinal cord injury. The Company was founded in 2005 on the basis of proprietary technology co-invented by Robert Langer, ScD., Professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Joseph P. Vacanti, M.D., who is affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital. In 2011, the Company earned the prestigious David S. Apple Award from the American Spinal Injury Association for its outstanding contribution to spinal cord injury medicine. The publicly traded company is headquartered in Cambridge, MA. For more details, visit, http://www.invivotherapeutics.com. Safe Harbor Statement Any statements contained in this press release that do not describe historical … Continue reading →

Fresno, CA (PRWEB) September 23, 2013 The leading California Pain Network pain management doctors in Fresno are now offering revolutionary treatments that are providing hope to those suffering from chronic pain. These treatments include radiofrequency ablation along with spinal cord stimulator implant treatments in addition to the medication management offered. For more information and scheduling, call (559) 201-0399. The Fresno pain management doctors in the California Pain Network are all Board Certified and highly experienced in over 25 options for effective chronic pain treatment. Radiofrequency ablation, for example, is a revolutionary treatment that has been shown to provide pain relief for 12 to 18 months in over 80% of chronic neck and back pain sufferers. For those individuals suffering from failed back surgery syndrome, the Fresno pain clinics can offer spinal cord stimulator implants. This treatment can provide immense back and leg pain relief over 75% of the time. The Fresno pain management clinics treat both simple and complex pain conditions including spinal and extremity arthritis, degenerative disc disease, sciatica, headaches, fibromyalgia, RSD, scoliosis and more. With so many options available, the pain doctors in Fresno are able to customize treatment options and avoid surgery over 90% of the time. … Continue reading →

YorkRegion.com TORONTO - Decompression surgery is a safe, effective means of treating a common but often misdiagnosed disease of the spine that can lead to paralysis, a Canadian-led international study concludes. The condition known by the unwieldy name of cervical spondylotic myelopathy, or CSM is estimated to affect about 20 per cent of Canadians, usually after age 50. About 10 per cent of those patients require surgery to alleviate progressively worsening symptoms. "Cervical spondylotic myelopathy is the commonest cause of spinal cord impairment in the world, and it's a complication of arthritis," said Dr. Michael Fehlings, a neurosurgeon at Toronto Western Hospital, who led the study. "If patients have arthritis, they may very well have this in the neck and it's very, very common," he said. "People will typically present with pain in the neck, but they may not necessarily be aware that they're at risk of developing paralysis." CSM, which can occur in anyone but is particularly prevalent in people of Asian and South Asian descent, results from the narrowing of the spinal canal, creating pressure on the spinal cord. The condition can cause neck stiffness, arm pain and numbness in the hands. In an estimated 30 to 50 … Continue reading →