Category: Spinal Cord Injuries

Pennsylvania residents may be interested to learn that approximately 282,000 individuals in the United States are living with a spinal cord injury. Depending on where the injury occurred and the severity of the injury, those who suffered a spinal cord injury could become paralyzed in their arms or even become paraplegics. Approximately 80 percent of new spinal cord injury cases…

Pennsylvania residents who incur traumatic injuries to their spinal cords may be left permanently disabled. These injuries are caused when people receive sharp blows to their spines that dislocate, crush, fracture or compress some of the vertebrae. Traumatic spinal cord injuries may also happen when the back is pierced by a sharp instrument, severing the spinal cord. Motor vehicle accidents…

Pennsylvania residents who have sustained spinal cord injuries may be more likely to suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, according to a study that was published in a medical journal. The study also found that almost all spinal cord injury patients have poor sleep quality. People with obstructive sleep apnea experiences numerous interruptions in their breathing while they are asleep. According…

Pennsylvania readers may be interested in learning that the scars that form over spinal cord injuries could actually help patients heal, according to a new study. The findings, which were published in the journal Nature, surprised the scientists that conducted the study. Researchers at the University of California-Los Angeles studied the regrowth of axon nerve cells on the injured spinal…

According to a study, the glial scar tissue that often develops on nerve fibers after brain and spinal injuries may actually help patients recover. The research, which was conducted by scientists at UCLA, runs counter to what many doctors in Pennsylvania and nationwide have long believed. Doctors have traditionally attempted to prevent the formation of glial scar tissue on the…

People from Pennsylvania who have undergone trauma to their spinal columns, whether through accident, injury or illness, may be aware of a condition known as spasticity. This disabling injury occurs when the neurological control of a body part or area is impaired, causing the muscle or muscles to spasm, flex or contract uncontrollably. Modern research on this debilitating condition is…

For those people in Pennsylvania who have suffered a spinal injury the road to recovery may be long and difficult. However, promising research on the subject indicates that better treatment practices and techniques might be just around the corner. The researchers believe that starting spinal rehabilitation as soon as it is clinically possible seems to be associated with more positive…

Many Pennsylvania residents have been in accidents that have caused injuries to their spinal cord. A February 2015 report estimated that the annual incidence of these injuries, excluding those that immediately proved fatal, is approximately 40 per 1 million U.S. residents. Those who have received such an injury, as well as their family members, may be interested in learning more…

Many people living in Pennsylvania and throughout the country suffer with a spinal cord disorder known as spinal cord infarction. The disorder is a stroke that occurs either in the arteries connected to the spinal cord or inside the spinal cord. The condition is caused when arteriosclerosis of the spinal arteries happens, which is when the arteries thicken or close.…

Pennsylvania residents may be familiar with an uncommon spinal disorder known as Brown-Sequard syndrome, or BSS. The condition develops following an injury to a person’s spinal cord from a back or neck wound. Other factors causing BSS include an obstructed blood vessel, known as ischemia, a tumor on the spinal cord, multiple sclerosis, tuberculosis, or any other inflammatory or infectious…