T-10

Researchers report initial results for a minimally invasive intervention for relief of chronic refractory shoulder pain in upper-limb dependent individuals with spinal cord injury

East Hanover, NJ. A New Jersey team of researchers has reported the successful, long-term relief of chronic refractory shoulder pain in a wheelchair user with spinal cord injury (SCI)

Wheelchair access gets a whole new meaning

Her studies were almost over and alumna, Helen Smith, had plans. Then a single event meant she had to reach her goals via a very different path. Now she’s pushing against the barriers.

In many ways, the bushwalk through Wolgan View Canyon in Wollemi National Park was like dozens of others that Helen Smith (BSc(Hons) ’09 PhD ’15) and her friends had previously done together.

First-in-human clinical study found improved motor and sensory function in three of four participants

Writing in the June 1 issue of Cell Stem Cell, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine report that a first-in-human phase I clinical trial in which neural stem cells were transplanted into participants with chronic spinal cord injuries produced measurable improvement in three of four subjects, with no serious adverse effects.

The sensation James Stanley misses most is the squidgey feeling of wet sand between his toes. Sometimes it’s dangling his legs into cool water, and the feeling of soft grass under his feet.

“They’re very simple things, but when you haven’t felt them for seven years I just think it would be amazing to feel them again,” the 25-year-old said.

A rare surfing injury called surfer’s myelopathy paralysed Mr Stanley from the navel down when he was 19 years old. As he pushed up on his surfboard his spine hyper-extended, triggering a swelling and spinal cord blockage at his T10 vertebra.

Thomas Rogers’s house has a lowered kitchen counter, wide hallways, and a elevator

When it comes to what he can and can’t do in his house, compared with an able-bodied person, Thomas Rogers says the only difference is that he can’t reach the top of his closet.

“That’s about it!” he said.

Rogers has made his house in Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s into an entirely accessible living space.

Chelsie Hill’s dream was to be a dancer and it was evident since she was little that the California native had a promising future ahead of her as a dancer. She won awards at state and national dance competitions and by high school graduation her future in dancing looked very promising.

GEORGINA Fiorentino thought her life was over when she lost feeling in her legs and became reliant on a wheelchair.

“You go through a whole process in your mind that it’s all too hard,” the Essendon North resident said.

“A lot of people have no idea the bits and pieces that follow on from a spinal injury.

“There are so many other things that are affected that are worse than not being able to walk.”

Martyn Ashton wants to inspire others

In 2013, stunt cyclist Martyn Ashton, a former world champion mountain biker, crashed during a cycling event and was left paralyzed from the waist down.

Stan Clawson loves to open the door for people. “They don’t expect it,” he says. Clawson, a filmmaker and communications professor based in Salt Lake City, is in his late 30s with sandy hair, blue eyes, and a handlebar mustache. He’s tall, “six-foot-four,” he says,  “you know… laying down. Upright? I’m not sure. Maybe four-foot-eight? Four-ten?”

Clawson has the deep, dynamic voice of a radio announcer and something of the devil in him. He’s been in a wheelchair since a rock climbing accident when he was 20 years old, when he fell 49 feet and severed his spinal cord between the T9 and T10 vertebrae. Since then, he’s learned to boogie board and downhill ski. He’s competed in marathons. And he’s earned advanced certifications as an open water diver.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — September is Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month. About 200,000 people in the United States are affected, including metro man Adam Lane.

Ever since a motorcycle accident seven years ago, Lane has had to learn how to navigate life on another set of wheels. When he’s not driving, Lane is rolling. It’s a skill he learned after his accident.

“The bike threw me and I went head first into a 4×4 sign post,” he explained.