Effectiveness of personalized rehabilitation in adults suffering from persistent concussion symptoms as compared to usual care: a randomized control trial protocol.

Background: Symptoms reported by patients who sustain a concussion are non-specific. As such, clinicians are better able to manage patients when a standardized clinical exam is performed to sub-type the driver(s) of symptoms. Aerobic exercise and multimodal rehabilitation have consistently shown to be a possibly effective means to manage this population; however, the optimal training prescription is unclear.

Non-invasive spinal cord electrical stimulation for arm and hand function in chronic tetraplegia: a safety and efficacy trial.

Cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to permanent impairment of arm and hand functions. Here we conducted a prospective, single-arm, multicenter, open-label, non-significant risk trial that evaluated the safety and efficacy of ARC Therapy to improve arm and hand functions in people with chronic SCI. ARC Therapy involves the delivery of externally applied electrical stimulation over the cervical spinal cord during structured rehabilitation.

Effectiveness of Non-Pharmacological Therapy on Physical Symptoms in Patients With Persistent Concussion Symptoms: A Systematic Review.

This systematic review provides a comprehensive overview on the effectiveness of rehabilitation on physical symptoms in patients of all ages with persistent concussion symptoms. PubMed, MEDLINE, Cochrane library, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and Embase were searched from January 1, 2012 to September 1, 2023 using terms related to physical post-concussion symptoms. Eligible articles were critically appraised using the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) and the Quality Assessment Tool.

A computational model of surface electromyography signal alterations after spinal cord injury.

. Spinal cord injury (SCI) can cause significant impairment and disability with an impact on the quality of life for individuals with SCI and their caregivers. Surface electromyography (sEMG) is a sensitive and non-invasive technique to measure muscle activity and has demonstrated great potential in capturing neuromuscular changes resulting from SCI.

Real world evidence of improved attention and cognition during physical therapy paired with neuromodulation: a brain vital signs study.

Background: Non-invasive neuromodulation using translingual neurostimulation (TLNS) has been shown to advance rehabilitation outcomes, particularly when paired with physical therapy (PT). Together with motor gains, patient-reported observations of incidental improvements in cognitive function have been noted. Both studies in healthy individuals and case reports in clinical populations have linked TLNS to improvements in attention-related cognitive processes.

Lived experience-centred word clouds may improve research uncertainty gathering in priority setting partnerships.

Introduction: AO Spine RECODE-DCM was a multi-stakeholder priority setting partnership (PSP) to define the top ten research priorities for degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM). Priorities were generated and iteratively refined using a series of surveys administered to surgeons, other healthcare professionals (oHCP) and people with DCM (PwDCM). The aim of this work was to utilise word clouds to enable the perspectives of people with the condition to be heard earlier in the PSP process than is traditionally the case.

Functional electrical stimulation therapy for upper extremity rehabilitation following spinal cord injury: a pilot study.

Study Design: Pilot study.

Objectives: To examine if functional electrical stimulation therapy (FEST) improves neuromuscular factors underlying upper limb function in individuals with SCI.

Setting: A tertiary spinal cord rehabilitation center specialized in spinal cord injury care in Canada.

Development of a Remote Version of the Graded Redefined Assessment of Strength, Sensation, and Prehension (GRASSP): Validity and Reliability.

Background: The Graded Redefined Assessment of Strength, Sensation, and Prehension (GRASSP V1.0) was developed in 2010 as a 3-domain assessment for upper extremity function after tetraplegia (domains: Strength, Sensibility, and Prehension). A remote version (rGRASSP) was created in response to the growing needs of the field of Telemedicine.

Targeting patient recovery priorities in degenerative cervical myelopathy: design and rationale for the RECEDE-Myelopathy trial-study protocol.

Introduction: Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) is a common and disabling condition of symptomatic cervical spinal cord compression secondary to degenerative changes in spinal structures leading to a mechanical stress injury of the spinal cord. RECEDE-Myelopathy aims to test the disease-modulating activity of the phosphodiesterase 3/phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor Ibudilast as an adjuvant to surgical decompression in DCM.

Methods And Analysis: RECEDE-Myelopathy is a multicentre, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial.

Segmental motor recovery after cervical spinal cord injury relates to density and integrity of corticospinal tract projections.

Cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) causes extensive impairments for individuals which may include dextrous hand function. Although prior work has focused on the recovery at the person-level, the factors determining the recovery of individual muscles are poorly understood. Here, we investigate the muscle-specific recovery after cervical spinal cord injury in a retrospective analysis of 748 individuals from the European Multicenter Study about Spinal Cord Injury (NCT01571531).

The impact of sport participation for individuals with spinal cord injury: A scoping review.

Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to various physical, psychological, and social challenges. Sport is a holistic physical activity that may target these challenges. No literature systematically summarizes the overall impact of sport participation for those with SCI.

Measuring Hand Use in the Home after Cervical Spinal Cord Injury Using Egocentric Video.

Egocentric video has recently emerged as a potential solution for monitoring hand function in individuals living with tetraplegia in the community, especially for its ability to detect functional use in the home environment. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a wearable vision-based system for measuring hand use in the home among individuals living with tetraplegia. Several deep learning algorithms for detecting functional hand-object interactions were developed and compared.

Development of a core measurement set for research in degenerative cervical myelopathy: a study protocol (AO Spine RECODE-DCM CMS).

Introduction: Progress in degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) is hindered by inconsistent measurement and reporting. This impedes data aggregation and outcome comparison across studies. This limitation can be reversed by developing a core measurement set (CMS) for DCM research.

Minimal Clinically Important Difference of Graded Redefined Assessment of Strength, Sensibility, and Prehension Version 1 in Acute Cervical Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury.

The Graded Redefined Assessment of Strength, Sensibility, and Prehension Version 1 (GRASSP v1) is a validated measure of upper extremity impairment shown to be sensitive and responsive for traumatic cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) in both North American (NA) and European (EU) cohorts. The minimal clinically important difference (MCID) is the quantitative change in an assessment scale that patients perceive as being beneficial. Our aim was to establish the MCID of all subtests of the GRASSP v1 for cervical SCI.

The use of surface EMG in neurorehabilitation following traumatic spinal cord injury: A scoping review.

Objective: Surface electromyography (sEMG) is a common electrophysiological assessment used in clinical trials in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). This scoping review summarizes the most common sEMG techniques used to address clinically relevant neurorehabilitation questions. We focused on the role of sEMG assessments in the clinical practice and research studies on neurorehabilitation after SCI, and how sEMG reflects the changes observed with rehabilitation.

Differences in sensorimotor and functional recovery between the dominant and non-dominant upper extremity following cervical spinal cord injury.

Study Design: Post hoc analysis of prospective multi-national, multi-centre cohort study.

Objective: Determine whether cerebral dominance influences upper extremity recovery following cervical spinal cord injury (SCI).

Setting: A multi-national subset of the longitudinal GRASSP dataset (n = 127).

Improving Awareness Could Transform Outcomes in Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy [AO Spine RECODE-DCM Research Priority Number 1].

Study Design: Literature Review (Narrative).

Objective: To introduce the number one research priority for Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy (DCM): Raising Awareness.

Methods: Raising awareness has been recognized by AO Spine RECODE-DCM as the number one research priority.

Clinical outcome measures and their evidence base in degenerative cervical myelopathy: a systematic review to inform a core measurement set (AO Spine RECODE-DCM).

Objectives: To evaluate the measurement properties of outcome measures currently used in the assessment of degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) for clinical research.

Design: Systematic review DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched through 4 August 2020.

Eligibility Criteria: Primary clinical research published in English and whose primary purpose was to evaluate the measurement properties or clinically important differences of instruments used in DCM.

Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: A Practical Approach to Diagnosis.

Study Design: Narrative Review.

Objectives: The objective of this review is to provide a stepwise approach to the assessment of patients with potential symptoms of degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM).

Methods: N/A.

Improving Assessment of Disease Severity and Strategies for Monitoring Progression in Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy [AO Spine RECODE-DCM Research Priority Number 4].

Study Design: Narrative Review.

Objective: To (i) discuss why assessment and monitoring of disease progression is critical in Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM); (ii) outline the important features of an ideal assessment tool and (iii) discuss current and novel strategies for detecting subtle deterioration in DCM.

Methods: Literature review.

Development of Reaching, Grasping & Manipulation indicators to advance the quality of spinal cord injury rehabilitation: SCI-High Project.

Objective: To describe the development of structure, process, and outcome indicators aimed to advance the quality of Reaching, Grasping & Manipulation (RG&M) rehabilitation for Canadians living with spinal cord injury or disease (SCID).

Method: Upper extremity rehabilitation experts developed a framework of indicators for evaluation of RG&M rehabilitation quality. A systematic search of the literature identified potential upper extremity indicators that influence RG&M outcomes.

Properties of the surface electromyogram following traumatic spinal cord injury: a scoping review.

Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) disrupts spinal and supraspinal pathways, and this process is reflected in changes in surface electromyography (sEMG). sEMG is an informative complement to current clinical testing and can capture the residual motor command in great detail-including in muscles below the level of injury with seemingly absent motor activities. In this comprehensive review, we sought to describe how the sEMG properties are changed after SCI.

The development of lived experience-centered word clouds to support research uncertainty gathering in degenerative cervical myelopathy: results from an engagement process and protocol for their evaluation, via a nested randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: AO Spine REsearch objectives and Common Data Elements for Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy [RECODE-DCM] is a multi-stakeholder consensus process aiming to promote research efficiency in DCM. It aims to establish the top 10 research uncertainties, through a James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership [PSP]. Through a consensus process, research questions are generated and ranked.