SCI management

A progress report on the spinal cord rehabilitation research initiatives based on registered clinical from 2000 to 2022

“…Those include, but are not limited to, long-leg braces and forearm crutches, neuroprosthetics, and body weight support treadmill training. 6 Neuromodulation uses electrical stimulation to modify neuronal activity for motor restoration and management of secondary medical conditions after SCI/D. 9 Nowadays, functional electrical stimulation therapy protocols are used to enhance functional outcomes of physical and occupational therapy in many rehabilitation facilities across the world, even though their mechanism of action remains incompletely understood.…”

“…9 Nowadays, functional electrical stimulation therapy protocols are used to enhance functional outcomes of physical and occupational therapy in many rehabilitation facilities across the world, even though their mechanism of action remains incompletely understood. 6,9,10 There are many other promising neuromodulation techniques being investigated for their role in motor restoration after SCI/D, including transmagnetic stimulation, transcranial direct current stimulation, brain-machine interface technology, epidural cord stimulation, and deep brain stimulation. 6,9 The potentials of assistive technology to improve individuals' independence and reduce the burden of chronic conditions (including spinal cord impairments) are the purposes of few registered studies, but those purposes are not fulfilled in many cases as assistive technology has abandonment rates between 20% and 70%.…”

“…6,9,10 There are many other promising neuromodulation techniques being investigated for their role in motor restoration after SCI/D, including transmagnetic stimulation, transcranial direct current stimulation, brain-machine interface technology, epidural cord stimulation, and deep brain stimulation. 6,9 The potentials of assistive technology to improve individuals' independence and reduce the burden of chronic conditions (including spinal cord impairments) are the purposes of few registered studies, but those purposes are not fulfilled in many cases as assistive technology has abandonment rates between 20% and 70%. In a recent meta-synthesis, Howard et al 11 grouped the main obstacles to obtaining and using assistive technology, into design and function of assistive technology, awareness and information, the service provision of assistive technology, personal psychological barriers, support network, and societal barriers.…”

“…As biopsychosocial consequences of injury, secondary medical conditions are more frequent or severe after SCI/D. 6 Secondary medical conditions after SCI/D can affect many body systems, impact health, and undermine function, quality of life, and societal participation. 14,15 In Australia, the total direct costs of visits to emergency departments and hospital readmissions for treatment of secondary medical conditions within a 2-yr period after SCI/D were estimated to be US $65,250 (i.e., 95 individuals with SCI visited the emergency departments 131 times at a mean cost of US $498 per visit) and US $4,127,500 (i.e., there were 141 readmissions at a mean cost of $29,273 per admission), respectively.…”

“…4,5 Several rehabilitation therapies have been developed and incorporated in the standard of care, including activitybased restorative therapies, neuromodulation, and surgical strategies for restoration of upper extremity function (i.e., tendon transfer and nerve transfer). 6 With this, a scoping review was performed: (a) to analyze the trends and features of the recently finalized and ongoing clinical studies on the rehabilitation of individuals with SCI/ D that were registered in the ClinicalTrials.gov Website and (b) to synthesize and appraise what was learned and what will potentially be discovered in the near future from the clinical studies on the rehabilitation of individuals with SCI/D that were registered in the ClinicalTrials.gov Website.…”