Wise Young
02-24-2002, 05:32 AM
• McDonald JW and Sadowsky C (2002). Spinal-cord injury. Lancet. 359 (9304): 417-25. Summary: More than a decade ago, spinal-cord injury meant confinement to a wheelchair and a lifetime of medical comorbidity. The physician's armamentarium of treatments was very limited, and provision of care for individuals with spinal-cord injury was usually met with frustration. Advances in the neurosciences have drawn attention to research into spinal-cord injury. Nowadays, advanced interventions provide high hope for regeneration and functional restoration. As scientific advances become more frequent, scepticism is giving way to the ideas that spinal- cord injury will eventually be repairable and that strategies to restore function are within our grasp. We address the present understanding of spinal-cord injury, its cause, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment, and look at promising research avenues. We also discuss new treatment options, including functional electric stimulation and part-weight-supported walking. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?db=m&form=6&dopt=r&uid=11844532> Department of Neurology, Spinal Cord Injury Neuro-Rehabilitation Section, and Restorative Treatment and Research Program, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA