Insurance Coverage Could Impact Survival of Patients After Spinal Cord Injury

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• August 26, 2024
• Full Page

The care of people seriously harmed by spinal cord injury can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and a new analysis suggests that ability to pay influences how long a patient remains on life support.

In a study of more than 8,400 U.S. adults with severe spinal cord i...

Insights From a Fish Might Help People Battling Spinal Cord Injury

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• August 19, 2024
• Full Page

A fish might hold clues to healing spinal cord injuries in humans, researchers report.

The damaged nerve cells of zebrafish can survive a spinal cord injury, eventually restoring full movement in the fish.

That’s very unlike humans and most other mammals, in ...

New Upright Scanner Tracks Brain Function While You Walk

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• August 9, 2024
• Full Page

A wearable brain scanner could improve research into Parkinson’s disease, dementia and other debilitating disorders, new research shows.

The brain scanner -- called t...

Having Diabetes Raises Risk of Failure With Spinal Fusion Surgery

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• July 12, 2024
• Full Page

Diabetes can make lumbar spinal fusion surgery much more likely to fail, a new study says.

People with diabetes are nearly three times more likely to have their vertebrae fail to properly he...

Animal Studies Suggest New Treatment Target for Spinal Cord Injury

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• June 14, 2024
• Full Page

Spinal cord injuries can cause the body to go haywire, with misfiring nerves causing dangerous "fight-or-flight"responses.

This makes typical and normally harmless problems like having a full bladder prompt life-threatening complications like heart attack, stroke and sev...

Spinal Cord 'Wraparound' Device Could Help Treat Paralysis

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• May 9, 2024
• Full Page

A tiny, flexible device that wraps around the spinal cord could be a breakthrough in the treatment of spinal injuries.

The device, developed by a University of Cambridge team, can record 360-degree information and provide a complete picture of spinal cord activity, resea...

Spinal Cord Injury Damages Metabolism, and Scientists Now Know Why

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• April 29, 2024
• Full Page

Patients with a spinal cord injury frequently develop diabetes and heart health problems, and researchers now think they know why.

It appears that neuron activity following the injury causes...

Brain's Cerebellum Could Help Direct Prosthetic Limbs

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• April 16, 2024
• Full Page

Tapping the power of the small brain region called the cerebellum could improve patients' ability to move cutting-edge robotic limbs, a new study suggests.

The cerebellum is an ancient structure located under the brain, just above where the spinal cord connects to the br...

Stem Cells From Patients' Fat Can Help Treat Spinal Cord Injuries

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• April 1, 2024
• Full Page

Stem cells derived from a patient's own fat can safely help improve sensation and movement after a spinal cord injury, a new, small study finds.

Patients treated with these stem cells experienced increased sensation from pinpricks and light touches, increased muscle stre...

Urinary Implant Helps Alert When Patients 'Gotta Go'

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• March 26, 2024
• Full Page

It's hard for some folks who suffer illness-related urinary incontinence to judge whether they'll be able to hold it until they get home, or if they should rush to a bathroom now.

New Prosthetic Hand Can Sense Objects' Temperature

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• February 9, 2024
• Full Page

Fabrizio wasn't sure what to expect of his newly outfitted prosthetic hand, until he touched one of the researchers who'd given it to him.

"When one of the researchers placed the sensor on his own body, I could feel the warmth of another person with my phantom hand,"said...

Spinal Cord Injury Triggers Muscle Wasting, Study Finds

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• December 22, 2023
• Full Page

A spinal cord injury can trigger muscle wasting in patients, causing them to drop more weight and muscle mass than can be explained solely by their paralysis, a new study in mice warns.

This muscle wasting is rapid and severe, and it appears to be linked to a hormone imb...

Spinal Cord Stimulation Eases Pain, Boosts Function for People With Prosthetic Legs

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• December 15, 2023
• Full Page

People who've lost a leg due to injury or disease are often plagued by what's known as phantom limb pain -- discomfort arising in the area, despite the absence of the limb.

Now, researchers report that people who wear a prosthetic leg after amputation may have that pain ...

In Mice, Gene Therapy Helps Restore Movement After Spinal Cord Injury

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• September 27, 2023
• Full Page

Gene therapy has restored mobility in mice with completely severed spinal cords, researchers report.

The mice regained the ability to walk, with gait patterns resembling those of mice that resumed walking naturally after only partial cord injuries, the investigators foun...

Spinal Cord Injury Could Harm Immune System

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• July 5, 2023
• Full Page

A severe spinal cord injury is traumatic enough, but new research now shows that trauma can trigger an immune deficiency that puts patients at risk for developing life-threatening infections.

A new study from a team of international researchers sheds light on spinal cor...

You've Suffered Whiplash: Know the Symptoms & Treatments

• Ann Schreiber HealthDay Reporter
• June 22, 2023
• Full Page

Whiplash -- an often underestimated injury that can strike in the aftermath of a collision -- inflicts injury and pain on its unsuspecting victims.

If you find yourself grappling with the relentless effects of whiplash, you're not alone. Numerous legal websites estimate ...

Getting Rid of Neck Pain: 6 Ways to Feel Better

• Ann Schreiber HealthDay Reporter
• June 21, 2023
• Full Page

The phrase "pain in the neck" is a tongue-in-cheek way to describe annoying situations or people that test our patience, but for those who experience genuine neck pain, it's no laughing matter.

Neck pain can be a debilitating condition that affects daily life and leaves ...

The Most Common Back Surgeries, Explained

• Ann Schreiber HealthDay Reporter
• June 21, 2023
• Full Page

Imagine a life where even the simplest movement becomes a painful endeavor.

Back pain, a pervasive ailment affecting millions, can turn daily routines into exhausting and painful challenges. Back surgery emerges as a potential solution when conventional treatments fall s...

Immune System Could Play Role in Spinal Cord Injury and Healing

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• May 30, 2023
• Full Page

Age blunts the immune system's ability to respond to spinal cord injuries, new animal research indicates.

But researchers working with mice also found that the membranes surrounding the spinal cord play a key role in the immune response to spinal cord injury, a dis...

Hi-Tech Implant Helps Paralyzed Man Walk More Naturally

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• May 24, 2023
• Full Page

A Dutch man with paralyzed legs can now stand and walk, thanks to a wireless brain-spine interface that responds to his thoughts by moving his legs.

Gert-Jan Oskam, 40, suffered a spinal cord injury 11 years ago from a bike accident in China that left him unable to walk....

Spinal Cord Injury Can Lead to Dangerously Low Blood Pressure, But New Implant Might Fix That

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• April 10, 2023
• Full Page

Dangerously low blood pressure is considered an "invisible"consequence of paralysis, adding to the woes of as many as 9 out of 10 people with spinal cord injuries.

Now, a new implant has been developed that treats the problem by delivering electrical stimulation to a sel...

Spinal Cord Stimulation May Ease Diabetic Neuropathy

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• March 1, 2023
• Full Page

Electrical stimulation from a spinal cord implant can provide long-lasting relief for people with diabetic neuropathy, updated clinical trial results show.

"Two years after starting with using that stimulator device, they're still having the same quality of improvement a...

Spinal Cord Stimulation Gives Big Boost to Arm Function After Stroke

• Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter
• February 20, 2023
• Full Page

It's a brutal reality that confronts many recovering stroke patients: After six months or so of rehab, any arm and hand movement not yet restored is unlikely to return.

But new

Mind-Controlled Wheelchair Brings New Freedom to People With Paralysis

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• November 18, 2022
• Full Page

A severely paralyzed person no longer needs to go through brain surgery to try and steer a motorized wheelchair with their mind, researchers report.

Through an electrode-studded cap placed on their head, several people with quadriplegia -- no function in all four limbs -...

Targeting Key Cells in Spinal Cord Got Paralyzed Patients Walking Again

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• November 9, 2022
• Full Page

In an advance in treating spinal cord injuries, researchers have pinpointed nerve cells that are key to allowing people with paralysis to walk again.

The findings come, in part, from nine patients involved in an ongoing Swiss study that is seeking to restore movemen...

Kids Getting Spinal Surgeries May Cut Back on Opioids

• By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• August 11, 2022
• Full Page

Spinal surgery is painful, but fewer addictive opioid painkillers are needed now to help kids and teens manage it, a new study finds.

A research team from Michigan Medicine found that scoliosis

Could an Experimental Cancer Drug Help Treat Spinal Injury?

• By Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling HealthDay Reporter
• July 18, 2022
• Full Page

A drug in development as a cancer therapy may also help the body regenerate damaged nerves after spinal injuries, new research suggests.

Scientists at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom report that they used cell and animal models to show that the drug, d...

Injected 'Hydrogel' May Be New Option Against Back Pain

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• June 9, 2022
• Full Page

Like fixing a flat on the roadside, a new injectable hydrogel is showing promise as a remedy for worn-down spinal discs -- pumping them back up and relieving chronic back pain.

The gel, with the brand name Hydrafil...

In Animal Studies, Gene Therapy Shows Promise for Spinal Cord Injury Pain

• By Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporter
• May 13, 2022
• Full Page

An experimental gene therapy for spinal cord pain shows promise in mice, researchers say.

About half of spinal cord injury patients have neuropathy, which is chronic or debilitating pain, tingling, numbn...

Novel Injection Repairs Severe Spinal Cord Injuries in Mice

• By Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporter
• April 14, 2022
• Full Page

A brighter future could be in store for people with a spinal cord injury if new animal research pans out in humans.

Mice that were paralyzed due to severe spinal cord damage regained the ability to walk within four weeks of receiving an experimental injectable therapy, s...

New Technology Restores Movement After Spinal Cord Paralysis

• February 7, 2022
• Full Page

A motorcycle crash left Michel Roccati with complete lower-body paralysis from a devastating spinal cord injury.

That was in 2017.

But now, the Italian native is walking again, courtesy of groundbreaking Swiss research that restores motor function within one day b...

Gun-Related Spinal Cord Injury in Childhood Brings Hardship Later

• Robert Preidt
• December 28, 2021
• Full Page

Spinal cord injuries in childhood are devastating no matter how they happen, but new research suggests that kids felled by gunshots are even worse off than those who suffer such an injury nonviolently.

About 13% of