Spinal Cord Injury: A Guide for Patients and Families (American Academy of Neurology)

171 Pages·2008·1.48 MB·English

by  Michael Selzer M.D.

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SPINAL CORD INJURY IE
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SPINAL CORD
A GUIDE FOR PATIENTS AND FAMILIES
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The newest title in the critically acclaimed American Academy of Neurology
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Press Quality of Life Guides series, Spinal Cord Injury is an authoritative
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and reliable resource for all those looking to educate themselves on the
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topic of spinal cord injury (SCI). A
Written in easy-to-understand language, the book includes information L
on:
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• How the spinal cord works and what happens when it is injured
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• The benefits of rehabilitation
• Assistive devices that can make life easier R AN AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NEUROLOGY PRESS QUALITY OF LIFE GUIDE
• A glossary with commonly used terms for communicating with
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doctors and caregivers Michael E. Selzer, MD, PhD, and Bruce H. Dobkin, MD
C • Website resources that can aid in further research
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Learning to live with a spinal cord injury can be a challenge. This book
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will help people better understand the medical basis for their disabilities,
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the current treatments and rehabilitative methods used to manage spinal
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MY cord injuries, and the research that points to hope for the future.
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About the Authors
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Michael E. Selzer, MD, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Neurol- G
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ogy and director of the Center for Experimental Neurorehabilitation ID
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Training at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, as well as F
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director of Rehabilitation Research and Development in the Department R
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of Veterans Affairs. A
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Bruce H. Dobkin, MD, is Professor of Neurology at the University of TS
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California. He is widely published on such topics as stroke, SCI, neuro- C N
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rehabilitation, and neuroplasticity. VE F
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DEMOS HEALTH N
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386 Park Avenue South, Suite 301 IS
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New York, NY 10016 N
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www.demoshealth.com
$19.95
DISTRIBUTED IN THE U.S. AND CANADA BY PUBLISHERS A G U I D E F O R P A T I E N T S A N D F A M I L I E S
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Spinal Cord Injury
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AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NEUROLOGY (AAN)
Quality of Life Guides
Lisa M. Shulman, MD
Series Editor
Alzheimer’s Disease
Paul Dash, MD and Nicole Villemarette-Pittman, PhD
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Robert G. Miller, MD, Deborah Gelinas, MD, and Patricia O’Connor, RN
Epilepsy
Ilo E. Leppik, MD
Guillain-Barré Syndrome
Gareth John Parry, MB, ChB, FRACP and Joel Steinberg, MD, PhD
Migraine and Other Headaches
William B. Young, MD and Stephen D. Silberstein, MD
Peripheral Neuropathy
Norman Latov, MD
Restless Legs Syndrome
Mark J. Buchfuhrer, MD, Wayne A. Hening, MD, PhD,
and Clete Kushida, MD, PhD
Spinal CordInjury
Michael E. Selzer, MD, PhD and Bruce H. Dobkin, MD
Stroke
Louis R. Caplan, MD
Understanding Pain
Harry J. Gould, III, MD, PhD
Selzer 00 1/23/08 2:47 PM Page iii
Spinal Cord Injury
MICHAEL E. SELZER, MD, PHD
Department of Neurology
University of Pennsylvania
and
Office of Research and Development
US Department of Veterans Affairs
BRUCE H. DOBKIN, MD
Department of Neurology
University of California at Los Angeles
and
Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson
Medical Research Foundation
LISA M. SHULMAN, MD
Series Editor
Associate Professor of Neurology
Rosalyn Newman Distinguished Scholar in Parkinson’s Disease
Co-Director, Maryland Parkinson’s Disease
and Movement Disorders Center
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Baltimore, Maryland
New York
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Demos Medical Publishing LLC, 386 Park Avenue South, New York, New York 10016
© 2008 by AAN Enterprises, Inc. 1080 Montreal Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55116. All rights
reserved. This book is protected by copyright. No part of it may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photo-
copying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Spinal cord injury / Michael E. Selzer … [et al.].
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN-13: 978-1-932603-38-5 (pbk. : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 1-932603-38-7 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Spinal cord—Wounds and injuries—Popular works. I. Selzer, Michael E.
RD594.3.S66528 2008
617.4'82044—dc22
2008000444
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Made in the United States of America
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Contents
About the AAN Press Quality of Life Guides. . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
CHAPTER 1
How Does the Spinal Cord Work and
What Happens When It Doesn’t? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
CHAPTER 2
Causes of Spinal Cord Injury and Dysfunction. . . . . . . . . . . 23
CHAPTER 3
Acute Treatment of Spinal Cord Injury. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
CHAPTER 4
Health Care After SCI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
CHAPTER 5
What Happens During Rehabilitation? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
CHAPTER 6
Assistive Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
CHAPTER 7
Research to Find New Treatments for SCI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
CHAPTER 8
Research on Minimizing Damage to the Spinal Cord
Immediately After Injury. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
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Contents
CHAPTER 9
Research on Repairing the Injured Spinal Cord . . . . . . . . . 115
Internet Resources for Spinal Cord Injury. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
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About the AAN Press
Quality of Life Guides
IN THE SPIRIT OF THE DOCTOR-PATIENT PARTNERSHIP
T
HE BETTER-INFORMED PATIENT is often able to play a vital role in his or
her own care. This is especially the case with neurologic disorders,
for which effective management of disease can be promoted—indeed,
enhanced—through patient education and involvement.
In the spirit of the partnership-in-care between physicians and
patients, the American Academy of Neurology Press is pleased to produce
a series of “Quality of Life” guides on an array of diseases and ailments
that affect the brain and central nervous system. The series, produced in
partnership with Demos Medical Publishing, answers a number of basic
and important questions faced by patients and their families.
Additionally, the authors, most of whom are physicians and all of
whom are experts in the areas in which they write, provide a detailed
discussion of the disorder, its causes, and the course it may follow. You
also find strategies for coping with the disorder and handling a number
of nonmedical issues.
The result: As a reader, you will be able to develop a framework for
understanding the disease and become better prepared to manage the
life changes associated with it.
ABOUT THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NEUROLOGY (AAN)
The American Academy of Neurology is the premier organization for
neurologists worldwide. In addition to support of educational and scien-
tific advances, the AAN—along with its sister organization, the AAN
Foundation—is a strong advocate of public education and a leading sup-
porter of research for breakthroughs in neurologic patient care.
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About the AAN Press Quality of Life Guides
More information on the activities of the AAN is available on our
website, www.aan.com. For a better understanding of common disorders
of the brain, as well as to learn about people living with these disorders,
please turn to the AAN Foundation’s website, www.thebrainmatters.org.
ABOUT NEUROLOGY AND NEUROLOGISTS
Neurology is the medical specialty associated with disorders of the brain
and central nervous system. Neurologists are medical doctors with spe-
cialized training in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of
patients suffering from neurologic disease.
Lisa M. Shulman, MD
Series Editor
AAN Press Quality of Life Guides
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