Publications by authors named "A M Spungen"
Introduction: Persons with non-ambulatory spinal cord injury (SCI) undergo immediate unloading of the skeleton and, as a result, have marked loss of bone mineral density below the level of lesion that is directly associated with increased risk of long-bone fractures. There is a paucity of research that has successfully implemented rehabilitation and/or exercise training interventions to mitigate bone loss after acute SCI or reverse bone loss that has already occurred in chronic SCI. This paper describes a research protocol to compare the effect of exoskeletal-assisted walking (EAW) alone versus EAW plus transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation (EAW+tSCS) on bone density, geometry and strength in a cohort of chronic SCI participants.
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- The study investigates how robotic exoskeletons impact veterans with spinal cord injuries compared to using a regular wheelchair.
- It analyzes whether adding exoskeleton-assisted walking to standard wheelchair use leads to significant improvements in mental and physical health outcomes.
- The research was conducted as a randomized clinical trial involving 161 veteran participants across 15 Veterans Affairs medical centers over a 4-month period.
Spinal cord injury (SCI) negatively impacts individuals' functional independence, and motor and sensory function. Intense walking training has been shown to facilitate recovery for individuals with chronic SCI. Powered robotic exoskeletons provide therapists with a tool that allows them to conduct walking training with less therapist effort as compared to conventional walking training.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To explore independence, usability, and self-reported quality of life (QOL) in eligible persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) who used a standing powered wheelchair over a 12-week period. Setting: VA SCI research facility.
Participants: Four participants with chronic SCI who use a wheelchair as the primary means of mobility.
Context: In people with spinal cord injury (SCI), infections are a leading cause of death, and there is a high prevalence of diabetes mellitus, obesity, and hypertension, which are all comorbidities associated with worse outcomes after COVID-19 infection.
Objective: To characterize self-reported health impacts of COVID-19 on people with SCI related to exposure to virus, diagnosis, symptoms, complications of infection, and vaccination.
Methods: The Spinal Cord Injury COVID-19 Pandemic Experience Survey (SCI-CPES) study was administered to ask people with SCI about their health and other experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.