Outcomes of a brief coping skills group intervention for adults with severe postconcussion symptoms.

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate a brief psychologically informed coping skills group intervention for adults with severe prolonged symptoms following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI).

Methodology & Results: Patients attended an education session about mTBI; 22 patients completed an additional coping skills group intervention, 16 declined/stopped the intervention early and 19 were not offered the intervention. At follow-up, patients who completed the intervention reported a similar degree of symptom improvement and disability as those who did not complete the intervention.

Clinical recommendations for use of lidocaine lubricant during bowel care after spinal cord injury prolong care routines and worsen autonomic dysreflexia: results from a randomised clinical trial.

Study Design: Clinical trial.

Objective: Spinal cord injury (SCI) impacts autonomic function and bowel management. Bowel care is a potential trigger for autonomic dysreflexia (AD; paroxysmal hypertension elicited by sensory stimuli below the level of lesion).

Diverse cognitive impairment after spinal cord injury is associated with orthostatic hypotension symptom burden.

This study: 1) compared cognitive functioning between individuals with chronic (>1 year) spinal cord injury (SCI) and non-injured controls and, 2) assessed associations between symptoms of autonomic dysreflexia and orthostatic hypotension with cognitive functioning in SCI participants with a history of unstable blood pressure (BP). Thirty-two individuals with SCI (C4-L2, American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale A-D) and thirty age, sex-matched non-injured controls participated in this study. Participants completed a motor-free neuropsychological test battery assessing 1) memory, 2) attention/concentration/psychomotor speed and, 3) executive function.

Management of Concussion and Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A Synthesis of Practice Guidelines.

At least 3 million Americans sustain a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) each year, and 1 in 5 have symptoms that persist beyond 1 month. Standards of mTBI care have evolved rapidly, with numerous expert consensus statements and clinical practice guidelines published in the last 5 years. This Special Communication synthesizes recent expert consensus statements and evidenced-based clinical practice guidelines for civilians, athletes, military, and pediatric populations for clinicians practicing outside of specialty mTBI clinics, including primary care providers.

Falls during inpatient rehabilitation in spinal cord injury, acquired brain injury, and neurologmusculoskeletal disease programs.

Study Design: Retrospective chart review.

Objectives: To compare the proportion of fallers and the patient level and fall characteristics among inpatients who had experienced at least one fall in a spinal cord injury (SCI), an acquired brain injury (ABI), and a neuromusculoskeletal disease (NMS) rehabilitation program.

Setting: Tertiary rehabilitation hospital.

Recommendations for evaluation of bladder and bowel function in pre-clinical spinal cord injury research.

In order to encourage the inclusion of bladder and bowel outcome measures in preclinical spinal cord injury (SCI) research, this paper identifies and categorizes 1) fundamental, 2) recommended, 3) supplemental and 4) exploratory sets of outcome measures for pre-clinical assessment of bladder and bowel function with broad applicability to animal models of SCI. Drawing upon the collective research experience of autonomic physiologists and informed in consultation with clinical experts, a critical assessment of currently available bladder and bowel outcome measures (histological, biochemical, functional, physiological and electrophysiological tests) was made to identify the strengths, deficiencies and ease of inclusion for future studies of experimental SCI. Based upon pre-established criteria generated by the Neurogenic Bladder and Bowel Working Group that included history of use in experimental settings, citations in the literature by multiple independent groups, ease of general use, reproducibility and sensitivity to change, three fundamental measures each for bladder and bowel assessments were identified.

Prevalence of postpartum depression and anxiety among women with spinal cord injury.

To examine the prevalence of postpartum depression (PPD) and postpartum anxiety (PPA) in mothers with spinal cord injury (SCI). Retrospective, cross-sectional study. Online multi-national study.

Assessing Patient Motivation for Treatment: A Systematic Review of Available Tools, Their Measurement Properties, and Conceptual Definition.

Background And Purpose: Motivation is often reported by clinicians and researchers as a key factor related to treatment and health outcomes. This systematic review aims to (a) Identify and critically appraise tools that measure patient motivation for treatment and (b) determine how these tools define and evaluate motivation.

Methods: Library databases and the search engine Google Scholar were examined.

Visual Field Impairment and Driver Fitness: A 1-Year Review of Crashes and Traffic Violations.

Importance: Occupational therapists frequently assess the fitness to drive of people with visual field impairment, but the relationship between these assessments and driving performance over time is not well understood.

Objective: To determine traffic violation and crash incidence over a 1-yr period for drivers with visual field impairment.

Design: Retrospective review of medical and driving records.

Revisiting the MotionWatch8©: Calibrating Cut-Points for Measuring Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior Among Adults With Stroke.

Reduced moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and increased sedentary behavior (SB) are common following stroke, which can limit stroke recovery and contribute to greater cognitive decline. Hence, the MVPA and SB of adults with stroke should be measured concurrently using objective methods. One currently available method for objectively measuring MVPA and SB is the MotionWatch8© (MW8).

: Mood, Cognition and Fatigue following Stroke, 6th edition update 2019.

The 2019 update of the is a comprehensive set of evidence-based guidelines addressing three important issues that can negatively impact the lives of people who have had a stroke. These include post-stroke depression and anxiety, vascular cognitive impairment, and post-stroke fatigue. Following stroke, approximately 20% to 50% of all persons may be affected by at least one of these conditions.

Exploring the lived experience of people using ultralight wheelchairs with on-the-fly adjustable seating function.

Manual wheelchairs with spontaneous, user-initiated seating adjustability allow users to independently adjust both rear seat height and backrest angle on-the-fly to optimize positioning for various activities throughout the day. This study aimed to examine the lived experience of users of wheelchairs with user-initiated seating adjustability and investigate the impact of this functionality in their day-to-day lives. This exploratory study involved eight participants who used manual wheelchairs with spontaneous, user-initiated adjustability.

Increased Sensorimotor Cortex Activation With Decreased Motor Performance During Functional Upper Extremity Tasks Poststroke.

Background And Purpose: Current literature has focused on identifying neuroplastic changes associated with stroke through tasks and in positions that are not representative of functional rehabilitation. Emerging technologies such as functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) provide new methods of expanding the area of neuroplasticity within rehabilitation. This study determined the differences in sensorimotor cortex activation during unrestrained reaching and gripping after stroke.

Implementing a self-management mobile app for spinal cord injury during inpatient rehabilitation and following community discharge: A feasibility study.

To determine the feasibility of implementing and evaluating a self-management mobile app for spinal cord injury (SCI) during inpatient rehabilitation and following community discharge. Pilot feasibility study. Rehabilitation hospital and community.

Breastfeeding Before and After Spinal Cord Injury: A Case Report of a Mother With C6 Tetraplegia.

Introduction: Although lactation dysfunction and breastfeeding difficulties after spinal cord injury have been previously reported, there is still a lack of research on the specific challenges and aspects that require more support. This unique case of a mother with C6 tetraplegia details her breastfeeding experience before and after spinal cord injury.

Main Issue: A 23-year-old woman with a 20-month-old daughter sustained a motor and sensory complete traumatic spinal cord injury in a motor-vehicle crash while she was 6 months pregnant with her second child.

Mobility and Participation of People With Disabilities Using Mobility Assistive Technologies: Protocol for a Mixed-Methods Study.

Background: Many community-dwelling individuals living with a disability use mobility assistive technologies (MATs). MAT devices are generally beneficial for individuals with mobility impairments. However, less is known about the specific factors that may foster or deter mobility and community participation.

Autonomic Dysreflexia in Patients With Spinal Cord Injury: What the Radiologist Needs to Know.

Autonomic dysreflexia (AD) is a potentially life-threatening condition that occurs in patients with cervical and high thoracic spinal cord injury (SCI). AD is not completely understood and has a high incidence that increases proportional to the level and severity of the SCI. The signs and symptoms can vary, but severe hypertension is a dominant feature and may be fatal.

Perceived benefits and barriers to yoga participation after stroke: A focus group approach.

Background: and Purpose: There is increasing evidence to suggest yoga can be beneficial to health and wellbeing after stroke. The purpose of this study was to identify perceived benefits and barriers to yoga participation among adults with chronic stroke.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-six community dwelling adults (14 female, 12 male) who were at least 6-months post-stroke participated in four focus groups held at local stroke recovery meetings.

Effects of exercise interventions on cardiovascular health in individuals with chronic, motor complete spinal cord injury: protocol for a randomised controlled trial [Cardiovascular Health/Outcomes: Improvements Created by Exercise and education in SCI (CHOICES) Study].

Introduction: Recent studies demonstrate that cardiovascular diseases and associated complications are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). Abnormal arterial stiffness, defined by a carotid-to-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) ≥10 m/s, is a recognised risk factor for heart disease in individuals with SCI. There is a paucity of studies assessing the efficacy of conventional training modalities on arterial stiffness and other cardiovascular outcomes in this population.

Influence of Peer-led Wheelchair Training on Wheelchair Skills and Participation in Older Adults: Clinical Outcomes of a Randomized Controlled Feasibility Trial.

Objective: To estimate treatment effect size of a peer-led Wheelchair Self-Efficacy Enhanced for Use (WheelSeeU) program on objective wheelchair skills (primary); and on perceived wheelchair skills capacity and performance, wheelchair use self-efficacy, satisfaction with participation, life-space mobility, and participation frequency (secondary); and to evaluate retention 6 months later (secondary).

Design: Randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Rehabilitation centers and communities.

Provincial Differences in the Diagnosis and Care of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Background: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive motor neuron disease resulting in muscle weakness, dysarthria and dysphagia, and ultimately respiratory failure leading to death. Half of the ALS patients survive less than 3 years, and 80% of the patients survive less than 5 years. Riluzole is the only approved medication in Canada with randomized controlled clinical trial evidence to slow the progression of ALS, albeit only to a modest degree.

Improving Self-Management Skills Among People With Spinal Cord Injury: Protocol for a Mixed-Methods Study.

Background: Most people with spinal cord injury will develop secondary complications with potentially devastating consequences. Self-management is a key prevention strategy for averting the development of secondary complications and their recurrence. Several studies have shown that self-management programs improve self-management behaviors and health outcomes in individuals living with chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes, hypertension, and arthritis.

Integrated systems analysis reveals conserved gene networks underlying response to spinal cord injury.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating neurological condition for which there are currently no effective treatment options to restore function. A major obstacle to the development of new therapies is our fragmentary understanding of the coordinated pathophysiological processes triggered by damage to the human spinal cord. Here, we describe a systems biology approach to integrate decades of small-scale experiments with unbiased, genome-wide gene expression from the human spinal cord, revealing a gene regulatory network signature of the pathophysiological response to SCI.

Reliability, convergent validity and applicability of the Assistive Technology Outcome Profile for Mobility for middle-aged and older power wheelchair users.

Background/aim: The Assistive Technology Outcome Profile for Mobility (ATOP/M) was designed to isolate the impact of mobility assistive technology on perceived difficulty with activity and participation. The study objectives were to examine its measurement properties (test-retest reliability and convergent validity) and applicability for middle-aged and older power wheelchair (PWC) users.

Methods: Four ATOP/M subscales were administered using computer adaptive testing (activity with mobility device, activity without mobility device, participation with mobility device, participation without mobility device).

Minocycline Reduces the Severity of Autonomic Dysreflexia after Experimental Spinal Cord Injury.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating neurological condition for which there is no effective treatment to restore neurological function. The development of new treatments for those with SCI may be hampered by the insensitivity of clinical tools to assess motor function in humans. Treatments aimed at preserving neuronal function through anti-inflammatory pathways (i.