Monthly Archives: November 2013

Inhaling less oxygen, known as hypoxia, boosts the walking abilities of patients with spinal injuries, according to a counterintuitive treatment described today in the journal Neurology.

Scientists from Emory University found that intermittent, but safe, exposure to hypoxia could improve both walking endurance and speed for patients with spinal injuries that have not completely eliminated the capacity to take steps.

A successful Missouri surgeon has beaten unbelievable odds by returning to the OR after suffering sudden paralysis from the waist down.

Dr. Ted Rummel lost his ability to walk or stand when a blood-filled cyst on his spine burst in 2010. A year of intense rehabilitation later, he was back in the game.

Rummel even overcame the hindrance of sitting as he worked by utilizing an ingenious stand-up wheel chair.

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I’ve heard some pretty crazy things come out of people’s mouths in my few short years as a wheelchair user. Most people definitely mean well, but some sentiments aren’t received the way many able bodied people might expect.  In the disabled community, it’s not uncommon for us to joke with each other about some of our interesting conversations with family, friends and strangers that often involve some off putting statements. below are the top 10 things that I’ve heard people say since my injury that don’t necessarily leave me with a warm and fuzzy feeling. –Rachelle Friedman

After laboratory mice received a contusive spinal cord injury at the T10 level, low and high doses of neural stem/progenitor cells (NS/PCs) derived from fetal bioluminescent-labeled transgenic mice were injected into four groups of mice at either the lesion epicenter or at rostral and caudal sites. A control group was similarly injected with phosphate buffered saline. The mice receiving the NS/PC cells experienced motor functional recovery while those in the control group did not.

It is known that transplanting neural stem/progenitor cells (NS/PCs) into the spinal cord promotes functional recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI). However, which transplantation sites provide optimal benefit?

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Fish, unlike humans, can regenerate nerve connections and recover normal mobility following an injury to their spinal cord. Now, University of Missouri researchers have discovered how the sea lamprey, an eel-like fish, regrows the neurons that comprise the long nerve “highways” that link the brain to the spinal cord. Findings may guide future efforts to promote recovery in humans who have suffered spinal cord injuries.

“There is a lot of attention to why, following a spinal cord injury, neurons regenerate in lower vertebrates, such as the sea lamprey, and why they don’t in higher vertebrates, such as humans,” said Andrew McClellan, professor of biological sciences in the College of Arts and Science and director of the UM Spinal Cord Injury Research Program (SCIRP).

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Participants with spinal cord injuries speak out their views at the International Workshop on Spine and Spinal Cord Injuries 2013 in Coimbatore

Now, this was not a routine workshop dealing with various aspects of the spine, restricting participation to just the surgeons.

Ten persons with spinal cord injuries, including one from Sri Lanka and two from Malaysia, gave a first-hand experience on how attitudinal barriers impeded mobility of paraplegics (those paralysed waist downward because of spinal cord injury) at the International Workshop on Spine and Spinal Cord Injuries 2013

NASCAR Stars Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman, Clint Bowyer, Ty Dillon, Martin Truex, Joey Coulter, Darrell Waltrip & Greg Biffle headlined this year’s tourney

DGF donated $27,000 wheelchair to Tamarac, Fla. native at the event

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – NASCAR Driver Jamie McMurray won the 13th annual Hot Rods & Reels Charity Fishing Tournament with NASCAR Drivers on the infield lake at the Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday, November 16. The event pairs sponsors, donors, supporters and NASCAR fans with NASCAR Drivers for a fun day of fishing benefiting the Darrell Gwynn Foundation and Speediatrics. The Darrell Gwynn Foundation’s mission is to provide SUPPORT for people with paralysis and PREVENT spinal cord injuries.