Category Archives: Spinal Cord Injury Treatment

For the new year, Dr. Adam Jacobs of SF Custom Chiropractic encourages the San Francisco community to put spinal health on top of their resolution list. When incorporated into ones life, chiropractic care can help promote wellness and enhance the nervous system. At SF Custom Chiropractic, new patients can receive half off the price of initial examination and treatment to help start their new years in a healthy way. San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) December 31, 2012 "The new year is the perfect opportunity to reflect on and resolve poor habits and develop new goals for personal development", says Dr. Adam Jacobs, head treating doctor of SF Custom Chiropractic. "For the new year, everyone should incorporate health and wellness as a top priority for their resolution." In the human body, the spine consists of 24 vertebrae which support the body and protect the spinal cord. If subluxation or misalignment occurs in vertebrae, pressure is placed on the nerve which can impair normal spinal function, leading to pain and imbalance of the body. Chiropractic care can help correct subluxations and relieve symptoms such as back pain, scoliosis, headaches and sports injuries. Located in the Financial district of San Francisco, SF Custom Chiropractic … Continue reading →

Published: Wednesday, December 26, 2012, 8:57p.m. Updated: Wednesday, December 26, 2012 Paul Hickling remembers the moment a neurologist told him he wouldnt be able to walk or use his arms again. I threw him out of the room, said Hickling, 55, of Crafton. I said, how dare you tell somebody that, that theyre never going to walk again! Because at that point, I could have just decided Im just going to lay in bed the rest of my life. That didnt happen. Hickling, who suffered a spinal cord injury in April 2010 and spent the next several months in various hospitals and treatment facilities, eventually regained that all-important ability. While Hickling still cant feel temperature or pain from his chest down, he has the ability to walk and has limited use of his arms and hands. He still is classified as a quadriplegic because he doesnt have full use of all his limbs, but thats a far cry from what could have been. Hicklings injury is between the C6 and C7 levels of his spinal cord. Injuries at that level of the spinal cord typically affect hands, wrists and arms but also can affect trunk and leg use. Every doctor … Continue reading →

ARDSLEY, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ACOR) today announced that Ron Cohen, M.D., President & CEO, will present at the upcoming 31st Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference on Monday, January 7, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco, CA. A live audio webcast of the presentation can be accessed under Investor Events in the Investor section of the Acorda website at http://www.acorda.com or you may use the link: http://jpmorgan.metameetings.com/webcasts/healthcare13/directlink?ticker=ACOR Please log in 5 minutes before the scheduled time of the presentation to ensure a timely connection. An archived version of the webcast will be available until February 7, 2013 on the Acorda website in the Investor Relations section. About Acorda Therapeutics Acorda Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on developing therapies that restore function and improve the lives of people with MS, spinal cord injury and other neurological conditions. Acorda markets AMPYRA (dalfampridine) Extended Release Tablets, 10 mg, in the United States as a treatment to improve walking in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). This was demonstrated by an improvement in walking speed. AMPYRA is marketed outside the United States as FAMPYRA (prolonged-release fampridine tablets) by Biogen Idec under a licensing … Continue reading →

Dr. Armenta of the Texas Brachial Plexus Institute is now accepting children and adult sufferers of brachial plexus injury. For people with a brachial plexus injury, it can be extremely painful; treatment is available and can ease the suffering of those who have been dealing with this injury. Houston, TX (PRWEB) December 26, 2012 Minor brachial plexus injury is easier to treat and sometimes goes away on its own. If it does not disappear on its own there are a few non-surgical treatments sufferers can try. Physical therapy is often helpful for Erb's Palsy sufferers and usually consists of stretching and other physical activities; meant to stimulate function of the nerves. For someone suffering from a major brachial plexus injury, physical therapy may not be enough to manage the excruciating pain that they are experiencing. When someone has a major brachial plexus injury, reconstructive surgery is often the solution. Surgical solutions to brachial plexus injury are often to conduct a nerve graft or nerve transfer. During a nerve graft procedure the surgeon removes the damaged part of the brachial plexus and replaces the affected nerves with healthy nerves found elsewhere on the body. Most of the time a nerve graft … Continue reading →

By RICH McHUGH and LAUREN SHER Six years ago, Janne Kouri was told he would never walk again after a freak accident diving into the ocean paralyzed him from the neck down, fracturing his spinal cord in two places. Rather than take his devastating diagnosis at face value, Kouri never gave up hope, teaching his spine to function again, and reached milestones in his recovery doctors thought he'd never see: first, wiggling his toes, then gaining enough function in his legs to walk with a walker, and most recently, standing up on his own without a walker in February 2012. "It's true that if you stay focused and work every single day, you really can do whatever you set your mind to," Kouri, 37, of Manhattan Beach, Calif., said in an interview with Robin Roberts in February 2012 after standing on his own for the first time. "The sky's the limit. We'll be walking one day soon." Turning his tragedy into a life's work, Kouri started NextStep Fitness, a non-profit rehab facility in Los Angeles to help those with paralysis and other disabilities get affordable, cutting-edge training. Therapy known as "loco-motor training," which teaches the spinal cord how to control … Continue reading →

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- InVivo Therapeutics Holdings Corp. (NVIV), a developer of groundbreaking technologies for the treatment of spinal cord injuries (SCI) and other neurotrauma conditions, today congratulates InVivo Therapeutics sponsored athlete Jason Fowler on winning the 2012 Ironman 70.3 World Triathlon Championships in Las Vegas, NV. As a nationally ranked amateur motocross racer, Fowler was paralyzed from the chest down at the age of 17 as the result of a motorcycle accident. Following his accident Fowler remained an avid athlete, and has since completed 150 road races, 30 marathons, and 29 triathlons, and has won several local and national competitions including two World Championships. He also regularly volunteers his time to traumatically injured children and trains aspiring athletes. Most recently, Fowler took first place in the 2012 Ironman 70.3 World Triathlon Championships in Las Vegas, NV. As a triathlete, Fowler competes conventionally in the swim and participates in the bike ride stage using a handcycle, and in the run portion using a racing wheelchair. Remarkably, the entire distance of the race is covered using only the strength and endurance of the upper body. Jasons commitment to his sport is only exceeded by his commitment to the spinal cord injury community, … Continue reading →

SALT LAKE CITY, UT--(Marketwire - Dec 20, 2012) - Deborah Eppstein, PhD, President and CEO of Q Therapeutics, Inc., an emerging biotechnology company utilizing its proprietary innovative technology to develop breakthrough cell therapy products for the treatment of debilitating diseases of the central nervous system, today issued a formal update in the form of a CEO letter posted to the Company's web site at http://www.qthera.com. In the letter, Dr. Eppstein comments on several key corporate and operational accomplishments achieved by Q Therapeutics in the past 12 months and on the Company's primary goals and objectives for the coming year.To view the CEO letter in its entirety, please go to http://ir.stockpr.com/qthera/ceo-letter. About Q Therapeutics, Inc. Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, Q Therapeutics, Inc. is a fully reporting, non-trading company, engaged in developing adult stem cell therapies to treat debilitating diseases of the central nervous system.The Company's first product, Q-Cells, is a cell-based therapeutic intended to restore or preserve normal activity of neurons by providing essential support functions that occur in healthy central nervous system tissues.Q-Cells may be applicable to a wide range of central nervous system diseases, including demyelinating conditions such as multiple sclerosis, transverse myelitis, cerebral palsy and stroke; … Continue reading →

ARDSLEY, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. (ACOR) today announced that the Company has completed the acquisition of Neuronex, Inc., a privately held company developing a nasal spray formulation of diazepam. Under the terms of the agreement, Acorda paid $6.8 million to Neuronex to complete the acquisition. Diazepam Nasal Spray is an important addition to our pipeline and aligns with our core strategy to develop and commercialize products that offer unique benefits to people with neurological diseases, said Ron Cohen, M.D., Acordas President and CEO. This product leverages our existing sales, marketing and medical organizations, which have proved highly successful in bringing novel neurological therapies to market. Diazepam Nasal Spray is a proprietary formulation of diazepam that Acorda is developing as a treatment for the management of selected, refractory patients with epilepsy, on stable regimens of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), who require intermittent use of diazepam to control bouts of acute repetitive seizures (ARS). Currently, the only approved outpatient treatment option for people who experience this type of seizure activity is DIASTAT AcuDialTM(diazepam rectal gel), a rectally administered gel formulation of diazepam. The nasally administered formulation potentially offers patients and caregivers a more practical and socially acceptable treatment option. There are up … Continue reading →

A chemical in the brain may explain why some people become suicidal and it may link inflammation of the body to disorders of the mind. According to new research, suicidal individuals have elevated levels of quinolinic acid in the fluid surrounding the central nervous system. The discovery could explain a missing link between inflammation and mental illness, said study researcher Lena Brundin, a professor of molecular medicine at Michigan State University. Previously, scientists had linked suicidal feelings to the kind of bodily inflammation that occurs during illness or stress, but they weren't able to explain how inflammation could translate to depression, hopelessness and a desire to kill oneself. The new study of 100 Swedish patients finds that the higher the level of quinolinic acid in the spinal fluid, the stronger their desire to commit suicide. "The sicker the patient, the higher the quinolinic acid," Brundin told LiveScience. The roots of suicide There were nearly 37,000 suicide deaths in 2009 in the United States and 633,000 emergency room visits for self-inflicted injury, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Between 2000 and 2009, suicide surpassed car accidents as the No. 1 cause of injury-related deaths in the United … Continue reading →

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- InVivo Therapeutics Holdings Corp. (NVIV), a developer of groundbreaking technologies for the treatment of spinal cord injuries (SCI) and other neurotrauma conditions, today announced that Kenneth DiPietro, Executive Vice President Human Resources at Biogen Idec, has joined InVivos Board of Directors. DiPietro has also been appointed as Chair of the Boards Governance, Nominating and Compensation committee. InVivo has pioneered a new technology platform utilizing a variety of biocompatible polymer-based devices to provide structural support to a damaged spinal cord in order to spare tissue from scarring while improving functional recovery and prognosis after a traumatic spinal cord injury. Today there is no effective treatment for traumatic spinal cord injuries, and the market potential is estimated to exceed $10 billion. Mr. DiPietro brings 30 years of experience in the human resources field to InVivos Board. As a senior executive and respected global business leader, Mr. DiPietro is accomplished at linking human resources functional excellence to the achievement of corporate objectives. He has gained broad cultural transformation, organizational development and corporate re-engineering experience with several Global 500 companies including Biogen, Microsoft, and PepsiCo, Inc. We expect that 2013 will be a breakout year for InVivo and that the next … Continue reading →