scholarly journals Understanding the impact of isolation due to COVID-19 on employment for Kentuckians with spinal cord injuries

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Chithra Adams ◽  
Anthony Lobianco ◽  
Emily Moseley ◽  
Calisa Fitzpatrick
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Spinal Cord Injuries ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Skill Sets ◽  
Rehabilitation Professionals ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
Virtual Focus Groups ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND: Obtaining and retaining employment for persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) is frequently a greater challenge than it is for the non-SCI population. It is particularly difficult during COVID-19 because all the barriers to employment are compounded for people with SCI as they have to take extra precaution to protect their health and wellbeing. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to understand how isolation related to COVID-19 has had an effect on the employment experiences for persons living with SCI. METHODS: Three virtual focus groups were conducted with Kentuckians who had SCI. RESULTS: The major themes were: the impact of disruption in routine on physical and mental health, importance of having the right accommodations, working from home as an accommodation, and the uncertainty of work. CONCLUSIONS: Accommodations are a critical component for people with SCI to be retained in the workforce. Employers should be proactive in offering various inclusive and accessible accommodations to employees so that people do not have to bear the additional burden of asking for accommodations. Rehabilitation professionals would serve the SCI population well by finding ways to help clients better advocate for themselves, provide adaptive home therapeutic equipment, and help identify diverse employment skill sets.

scholarly journals Acquisition of a precision walking skill and the impact of proprioceptive deficits in people with motor-incomplete spinal cord injury

2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (3) ◽  
pp. 1078-1084 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda E. Chisholm ◽  
Taha Qaiser ◽  
Alison M. M. Williams ◽  
Gevorg Eginyan ◽  
Tania Lam
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Spinal Cord Injury ◽  
Visual Feedback ◽  
Spinal Cord Injuries ◽  
Sensory Function ◽  
Joint Position ◽  
Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
Rate Of Learning ◽  
The Impact

Many people with motor-incomplete spinal cord injury (m-iSCI) experience difficulty navigating obstacles, such as curbs and stairs. The ability to relearn walking skills may be limited by proprioceptive deficits. The purpose of this study was to determine the capacity of participants to acquire a precision walking skill, and to evaluate the influence of proprioceptive deficits on the skill acquisition in individuals with m-iSCI. Sixteen individuals with m-iSCI and eight controls performed a precision walking task that required matching their foot height to a target during the swing phase. Proprioceptive deficits were quantified at the hip and knee for joint position and movement detection sense. Participants completed 600 steps of training with visual feedback. Pretraining and posttraining tests were conducted without visual feedback, along with a transfer test with an ankle weight. Posttraining and transfer tests were repeated 1 day later. Participants returned to the laboratory 1 wk later to repeat the training. Performance was calculated as the vertical distance between the target and actual foot height for each step. The posttraining and transfer performances were similar between groups. However, participants with m-iSCI had a slower rate of acquisition to achieve a similar performance level compared with controls. Acquisition rate and posttraining performance of the precision walking task were related to lower limb joint position sense among SCI participants. Although they can achieve a similar level of performance in a precision walking task, proprioceptive deficits impair the rate of learning among individuals with m-iSCI compared with able-bodied controls. NEW & NOTEWORTHY People with motor-incomplete spinal cord injuries are able to achieve the same level of performance accuracy on a precision walking task as able-bodied controls; however, the rate of learning is slower, indicating that more practice is required to stabilize performance. Our findings also show a relationship between impaired sensory function and reduced accuracy when performing a precision walking task after spinal cord injury.

Men’s Adjustment to Spinal Cord Injury: The Unique Contributions of Conformity to Masculine Gender Norms

2009 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaun Michael Burns ◽  
Sigmund Hough ◽  
Briana L. Boyd ◽  
Justin Hill
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Spinal Cord Injury ◽  
Spinal Cord Injuries ◽  
Gender Norms ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Masculine Norms ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
Future Research Directions ◽  
The Impact

Men constitute 82% of the approximately 250,000 people in the United States living with a spinal cord injury. Unfortunately, however, little is known about the impact of men’s adherence to gender norms on their adjustment to such injuries. The present investigation examined the utility of masculine norms in explaining variance in depression beyond that accounted for by commonly identified predictors of men’s adjustment following spinal cord injury. As hypothesized, results suggested that men’s adherence to masculine norms accounted for unique variance in their depression scores beyond that contributed by social support, environmental barriers/access, and erectile functioning. Respondents who adhered to norms stressing the primacy of men’s work demonstrated lower rates of depression, whereas those who conformed to norms for self-reliance demonstrated higher depression scores. The authors discuss future research directions and potential psychotherapeutic strategies for working with men with spinal cord injuries.

scholarly journals How to generate graded spinal cord injuries in swine?: Tools and procedures

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Züchner ◽  
Manuel J. Escalona ◽  
Lena Hammerlund Teige ◽  
Evangelos Balafas ◽  
Lili Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Animal Models ◽  
Functional Outcome ◽  
Spinal Cord Injuries ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Swine Model ◽  
Large Animal ◽  
Large Animal Models ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
The Impact

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a medically, psychologically and socially disabling condition. A large body of our knowledge on the basic mechanisms of SCI has been gathered in rodents. For preclinical validation of promising therapies, the use of animal models that are closer to humans has several advantages. This has promoted a more intensive development of large animal models for SCI during the past decade. We have recently developed a multimodal SCI apparatus for large animals that generated biomechanically reproducible impacts in vivo. It is composed of a spring-load impactor and support systems for the spinal cord and the vertebral column. We now present the functional outcome of farm pigs and minipigs injured with different lesion strengths. There was a correlation between the biomechanical characteristics of the impact, the functional outcome, and the tissue damage observed several weeks after injury. We also provide a detailed description of the procedure to generate such a SCI in both farm pigs and minipigs, in the hope to ease the adoption of the swine model by other research groups.

A study of whether individual and dyadic relations between spirituality and resilience contribute to psychological adjustment among individuals with spinal cord injuries and their family members

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (9) ◽  
pp. 1503-1514 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Fiona Jones ◽  
Grahame Simpson ◽  
Lynne Briggs ◽  
Pat Dorsett ◽  
Malcolm Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Spinal Cord Injury ◽  
Spinal Cord Injuries ◽  
Satisfaction With Life ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Satisfaction With Life Scale ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
Spiritual Well Being ◽  
The Impact

Objective: To test a model of spiritual well-being and resilience among individuals with spinal cord injuries and their family members. Design: Prospective cross-sectional observational data were analyzed by structural equation modelling. Setting: Inpatient and community services at one rehabilitation hospital. Subjects: Individual with spinal cord injury ( n = 50) and family member ( n = 50) dyads. Interventions: Standard rehabilitation, both inpatient and community. Main measure(s): Functional assessment of chronic illness therapy – spiritual well-being scale – expanded, Connor–Davidson resilience scale, positive and negative affect scale, depression anxiety and stress scale–21, satisfaction with life scale. Results: Median time post-injury was 8.95 months (IQR (interquartile range) = 14.15). Individuals with spinal cord injury and family members reported high scores for both spiritual well-being (66.06 ± 14.89; 68.42 ± 13.75) and resilience (76.68 ± 13.88; 76.64 ± 11.75), respectively. Analysis found the model had acceptable fit (e.g. chi-square goodness of fit statistic = 38.789; P = .263). For individuals with spinal cord injury, spiritual well-being was positively associated with resilience which, in turn, was associated with increasing positive affect and satisfaction with life. Among family members, spiritual well-being was positively associated with resilience. Resilience was then associated with lowered levels of depression and mediated the impact of depression on satisfaction with life. Limited evidence was found for mutual dyadic links, with the only significant pathway finding that resilience in the individual with spinal cord injury was associated with increased satisfaction with life among family members. Conclusion: Increased spirituality and resilience make a significant contribution (both independently and in combination) to positive psychological outcomes for both individuals with spinal cord injury and their family members.

Interventions to Improve Employment Outcomes for People With Spinal Cord Injuries: a Scoping Review Protocol Using the Donabedian Model

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ntsikelelo Pefile ◽  
Joyce Diphale Mothabeng ◽  
Saloshni Naidoo
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Spinal Cord Injuries ◽  
Community Integration ◽  
Employment Outcomes ◽  
Rehabilitation Professionals ◽  
Search Terms ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
Donabedian Model

Abstract Background Unemployment among persons with spinal cord injury (PWSCI) is high and often leads to poverty (including their families). Modifiable and unmodifiable factors that influence employment among PWSCI are known and are addressed throughout the rehabilitation process. The overall aim of rehabilitation of PWSCI is quality of life and community integration (including employment). Interventions that seek to improve employment outcomes among PWSCI are well documented. However, no integrated reviews clearly describe the resources utilised, interventions utilised, duration of interventions and the outcomes (and tools used) to improve employment outcomes among PWSCI. Policymakers and rehabilitation professionals require this information to develop models or strategies to improve employment outcomes for PWSCI. This review aims to map evidence on interventions and approaches that aim to enhance the employment of PWSCI. Methodology This review will map evidence on interventions that improve employment outcomes among PWSCI, using the Arksey and O'Malley framework and the Donabedian model as the guiding lens. The first stage includes the development of the research question and will be reviewed throughout the review process. The PCC framework will be utilised to determine the inclusion and exclusion criteria and develop the search terms. Peer-reviewed primary studies will be identified using the Boolean search terms on PubMed, MEDLINE, Ebscohost, Google Scholar, CINAHL, Cochrane databases. Two independent reviewers will identify primary studies and charting data, and one reviewer will act as a supervisor and arbitrator. Data charting tool will be utilised to gather the required information from the selected studies. Nvivo software version 25 will be used to develop themes for summarising and reporting the data. The quality of the courses selected will be evaluated using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). DiscussionData from the selected studies will be discussed in relation to the research questions and the Donabedian model. Information gathered from this scoping review will enable policymakers, rehabilitation professionals and other stakeholders to use this as a foundation in an attempt to develop strategies or models that seek to improve employment outcomes among PWSCI. Moreover, a gap in current practice will be identified, and further research needed in the field will be described.

scholarly journals The impact of spinal cord injury on South African youth

2007 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Njoki ◽  
J. Frantz ◽  
R. Mpofu
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Spinal Cord Injury ◽  
Young People ◽  
Psychosocial Adjustment ◽  
Successful Outcome ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
Rehabilitation Professionals ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
The Impact

Approximately 500 South Africans, mainly young people,sustain a spinal cord injury every year leading to severe lifetime physical disabilities. With advances in medicine and assistive technology, these young people are able to reach adulthood. The physical, social and  emotional adjustments, which determine the eventual successful outcome following injury, vary considerably from person to person. Some make satisfactory adjustments whereas others remain chronically distressed.This study aimed to determine the impact of SCI on youth in community settings after discharge from rehabilitation.  A qualitative approach, that utilised face-to-face interviews and focus group methods of data collection, was used. Data were drawn from ten participants selected at Conradie Spinal Rehabilitation Unit, using purposive sampling. Audiotape recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim. Strong themes that ran through the data were identified. The results of the study revealed that spinal cord injury impacts on more than just the physical capabilities of an individual. Participants identified issues such as social identity, intrapersonal and interpersonal factors, social support and employment opportunities as having a major impact on their lives once back in the community.  It is  recommended that rehabilitation professionals include issues such as identity and psychosocial adjustment into their health promotion interventions.

What do we currently know about thoracic spinal cord injury recovery and outcomes? A systematic review

2012 ◽  
Vol 17 (Suppl1) ◽  
pp. 52-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard J. Bransford ◽  
Jens R. Chapman ◽  
Andrea C. Skelly ◽  
Ellen M. VanAlstyne
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Spinal Cord Injuries ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Pulmonary Complications ◽  
Level Of Evidence ◽  
Thoracic Spinal Cord ◽  
Strength Of Evidence ◽  
Thoracic Spinal ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
The Impact

Object The purpose of this paper was to systematically review and critically appraise the evidence for whether there are differences in outcomes or recovery after thoracic spinal cord injuries (SCIs) based on the spinal level, the timing of intervention, or cause of SCI. Methods Systematic searches were conducted using PubMed/MEDLINE through January 5, 2012. From 486 articles identified, 10 included data on the population of interest. Included studies were assigned a level of evidence (LOE) rating based on study quality, and an overall strength of evidence was assessed. To estimate the effect of injury level on patient outcomes, the relative risk and risk difference were calculated when data were available. Results From 486 citations identified, 3 registry studies and 7 retrospective cohort studies met the inclusion criteria. All were rated as being of poor quality (LOE III). Limited literature exists on the epidemiology of traumatic and nontraumatic SCI. Few studies evaluated outcomes based on SCI level within the thoracic spine. Pulmonary complications and thromboembolic events were less common in persons with lower thoracic SCI (T7–12) than in those with higher thoracic SCI (T1–6) in 2 large studies, but no differences were found in functional outcomes in 4 smaller studies. Patients undergoing earlier surgery (< 72 hours) may have fewer ventilator, ICU, and hospital days than those undergoing later surgery. One small study of SCI during repair of aortic aneurysm compared with traumatic SCI reported similar outcomes for both groups. There are substantial deficiencies in the scientific literature on thoracic SCI in regard to assessment, outcomes ratings, and effectiveness of therapy. Conclusions The overall strength of evidence for all outcomes reported is low. Definitive conclusions should not be drawn regarding the prognosis for outcome and recovery after thoracic SCI. From a physiological standpoint, additional methodologically rigorous studies that take into consideration various levels of injury in more anatomically and physiologically relevant form are needed. Use of validated, comprehensive outcomes tools are important to improve our understanding of the impact of thoracic SCI and aid in examining factors in recovery from thoracic SCI.

scholarly journals Locomotor impact of beneficial or nonbeneficial H-reflex conditioning after spinal cord injury

2014 ◽  
Vol 111 (6) ◽  
pp. 1249-1258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Chen ◽  
Lu Chen ◽  
Rongliang Liu ◽  
Yu Wang ◽  
Xiang Yang Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
H Reflex ◽  
Spinal Reflex ◽  
Step Cycle ◽  
Reflex Pathway ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
Kinematic Analyses ◽  
Spinal Cord Contusion ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Impact

When new motor learning changes neurons and synapses in the spinal cord, it may affect previously learned behaviors that depend on the same spinal neurons and synapses. To explore these effects, we used operant conditioning to strengthen or weaken the right soleus H-reflex pathway in rats in which a right spinal cord contusion had impaired locomotion. When up-conditioning increased the H-reflex, locomotion improved. Steps became longer, and step-cycle asymmetry (i.e., limping) disappeared. In contrast, when down-conditioning decreased the H-reflex, locomotion did not worsen. Steps did not become shorter, and asymmetry did not increase. Electromyographic and kinematic analyses explained how H-reflex increase improved locomotion and why H-reflex decrease did not further impair it. Although the impact of up-conditioning or down-conditioning on the H-reflex pathway was still present during locomotion, only up-conditioning affected the soleus locomotor burst. Additionally, compensatory plasticity apparently prevented the weaker H-reflex pathway caused by down-conditioning from weakening the locomotor burst and further impairing locomotion. The results support the hypothesis that the state of the spinal cord is a “negotiated equilibrium” that serves all the behaviors that depend on it. When new learning changes the spinal cord, old behaviors undergo concurrent relearning that preserves or improves their key features. Thus, if an old behavior has been impaired by trauma or disease, spinal reflex conditioning, by changing a specific pathway and triggering a new negotiation, may enable recovery beyond that achieved simply by practicing the old behavior. Spinal reflex conditioning protocols might complement other neurorehabilitation methods and enhance recovery.

scholarly journals Sporting Spinal Cord Injuries, Social Relations, and Rehabilitation Narratives: An Ethnographic Creative Non-Fiction of Becoming Disabled Through Sport

2013 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 132-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brett Smith
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Creative Nonfiction ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Spinal Cord Injuries ◽  
Empirical Knowledge ◽  
Non Fiction ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
Creative Non Fiction ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

Working at the intersection of sociology and psychology, the purpose of this paper was to examine people’s experiences during rehabilitation of being and having an impaired body as a result of suffering a spinal cord injury (SCI) while playing sport. Interview data with men (n = 20) and observational data were collected. All data were analyzed using narrative analyses. To communicate findings in a way that can incorporate the complexity of results and reach wide audiences, the genre of ethnographic creative nonfiction was used. The ethnographic creative nonfiction extends research into issues related to disability, rehabilitation and sporting injury by 1) producing original empirical knowledge, 2) generating a theoretical account of human thought, affect and action as emerging not inside the individual but within social relations and the narratives that circulate between actors, and 3) capturing the impact of this research.

scholarly journals Integrating the perspectives of individuals with spinal cord injuries, their family caregivers and healthcare professionals from the time of rehabilitation admission to community reintegration: protocol for a scoping study on SCI needs

BMJ Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. e014331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Moreno ◽  
Diana Zidarov ◽  
Chandhana Raju ◽  
Jill Boruff ◽  
Sara Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Unmet Needs ◽  
Spinal Cord Injuries ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Community Reintegration ◽  
Scoping Study ◽  
Stakeholder Consultation ◽  
Rehabilitation Professionals ◽  
Cord Injury

IntroductionThere is fragmented information about the different needs following a spinal cord injury (SCI). Expressed SCI needs can be met or unmet, they change along the rehabilitation continuum (eg, acute, rehabilitation and reintegration into the community) and can be different for traumatic and non traumatic SCI. The general objective of this scoping study is to evaluate and integrate the needs of individuals with traumatic and non-traumatic SCI, their family caregivers and those reported by rehabilitation professionals from the time of rehabilitation admission to community reintegration. The specific objectives are to: (A) synthesise the needs of individuals with SCI as perceived by themselves, their family caregivers and rehabilitation professionals using two theoretical models, (B) classify needs as met and unmet, (C) explore the evolution of met/unmet needs from the time of rehabilitation admission to community reintegration and (D) provide recommendations to improve SCI care.Methods and analysis(A) identifying the most frequent met and unmet needs reported by adults with traumatic and non-traumatic SCI, their family caregivers and their rehabilitation professionals from the time of rehabilitation admission to community reintegration; (B) identifying relevant studies with a search in electronic databases; (C) charting the data based on categories refined and adjusted with a stakeholder group; (D) collating, summarising and reporting the results using two analytical frameworks (Maslow's hierarchical model of human needs and the Ferranset al's model of health-related quality of life) and (E) a stakeholder consultation phase.Ethics and disseminationThe results of this scoping study will allow understanding SCI needs from the time of rehabilitation admission to community reintegration from the perspective of different stakeholders. An integrated master report combining the needs of individuals with SCI from the perspectives of different stakeholders from the time of rehabilitation admission to community reintegration will follow the consultation meetings.

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