Intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) increases during many tasks and has been argued to increase stability and stiffness of the spine. Although several studies have shown a relationship between the IAP increase and spinal stability, it has been impossible to determine whether this augmentation of mechanical support for the spine is due ...

This study investigated the effects of controlled breathing techniques and ventilatory and upper extremity muscle exercise on cardiopulmonary and metabolic functions and exercise tolerance in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). The design of the study was prospective and was a before-after trial. Twenty patients with SCI were included in ...

Military activities are often considered more dangerous than civilian work, especially in crisis situations, but peacetime or even peacekeeping conditions have seldom been analyzed in this respect. According to the compensation statistics of the Finnish State Treasury, in 2001, 80% of injuries among military personnel were caused by accidents at ...

BACKGROUND: Some experimental whiplash investigations using human volunteers and full-body cadavers reported thoracic ramping, characterized by superior translation and extension rotation of the cervico-thoracic junction. The effect of this phenomenon on cervical spinal kinematics has not been quantitatively determined. METHODS: A comprehensively validated computational model exercised in 2.7 m/s rear ...

OBJECTIVE: To study the longitudinal relation between physical capacity and wheelchair skill performance in subjects with spinal cord injury (SCI) during rehabilitation. DESIGN: Observational prospective cohort study. Measurements were taken 3 times during subjects' rehabilitation. SETTING: Eight rehabilitation centers in the Netherlands. PARTICIPANTS: Ninety-seven subjects with SCI. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. ...

Spinal cord injury (SCI) induces lifetime disability, and no suitable therapy is available to treat victims or to minimze their sufferings. Recently, neurotrophins and compounds acting at melanocortin receptors have been been identified as potential neuroprotective agents. In this investigation, the neuroprotective effects of neurotrophins and melanocortins on the pathophysiology ...

OBJECTIVE: To identify barriers to physical fitness faced by individuals with spinal cord injury preventing them from participating in a physical fitness program. DESIGN: In this cross-sectional study, a survey of barriers to exercise was administered to 72 individuals with spinal cord injury. RESULTS: Although 73.6% of the participants expressed ...

CLINICAL QUESTION: Does pre-exercise stretching reduce the incidence of lower limb soft tissue injuries in young adult runners (≤ 35 years old)? CLINICAL BOTTOM LINE: Studies involving young, healthy, male military subjects have failed to demonstrate a preventative effect of pre-exercise stretching on lower limb soft tissue injuries. Future research ...

OBJECTIVE: To assess the reliability of the submaximal and peak responses to a treadmill graded exercise test in individuals recovering from traumatic brain injury. DESIGN: A total of 15 individuals (11 men, 4 women; 28.5 +/- 9.2 yrs) with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury admitted into a postacute residential ...

OBJECTIVES: Posterior glottic stenosis (PGS) is a disabling disease commonly induced by endolaryngeal injury from intubation or surgery. Few experiments on PGS prevention, however, have been performed. The purpose of this study was to investigate the preventive effect of mitomycin C (MMC) on PGS in a randomized, controlled animal study. ...

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Knowledge about the extent of damage with endoscopic cryotherapy is of critical importance before its potential as an ablative therapy is explored. The aims of this study were to evaluate the extent of transmural esophageal necrosis at 48 hours after cryospraying for varying durations, using a ...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of training with ergometers on subjects with spinal cord injury (SCI) in the postacute phase. DESIGN: Cohort study. SETTING: A spinal unit at a physical medicine and rehabilitation institute. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-one subjects with SCI in the postacute phase as a consecutive sample were chosen on ...

Spinal cord injury is a catastrophic event that immeasurably alters activity and health. Depending on the level and severity of injury, functional and homeostatic decline of many body systems can be anticipated in a large segment of the paralyzed population. The level of physical inactivity and deconditioning imposed by SCI ...

Individuals with spinal cord injury can benefit from regular exercise. Exercise prescription for these individuals is based on the same 4 principles of exercise used for nondisabled individuals. The purpose of this paper is to describe a process by which physical therapists may generate an exercise prescription for individuals with ...

The cell adhesion molecule L1 is highly expressed on embryonic axons and may play a role in axonal outgrowth and fasciculation. Generally only low levels of L1 are found in adult spinal cord except for intense labeling in Lissauer's tract, in laminae I-II, and on dorsolateral funicular axons. In this ...

A significant proportion of the mortality and morbidity of severe burns is attributable to the ensuing hypermetabolic response. This response can last for as long as 1 year after injury and is associated with impaired wound healing, increased infection risks, erosion of lean body mass, hampered rehabilitation, and delayed reintegration ...

HYPOTHESIS: The incidence and severity of postinjury multiple organ failure (MOF) has decreased over the last decade. DESIGN: A prospective 12-year inception cohort study ending December 31, 2003. SETTING: Regional academic level I trauma center. PATIENTS: One thousand three hundred forty-four trauma patients at risk for postinjury MOF. Inclusion criteria ...

An ergonomics intervention program (EIP) was conducted with male employees working in the pressing and storage sections of a metal autoparts factory in Samut Prakan Province, Thailand. The objectives of this study were to assess the causes of injuries in the pressing and storage sections of that factory, and to ...

A 2-min focal application of Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) to injured mammalian spinal cords can offer significant yet limited restoration of functional and structural integrity. However, longer application of PEG has not been tested in similar injuries. In this study, isolated spinal cord white matter strips from adult guinea pigs were ...

Since the early 1980s, stretching has been promoted as a method to prevent injury and improve athletic performance. Although research suggests that this may be true for regular stretching performed every day, an isolated act of stretching immediately before exercise likely has no effect on injury prevention and actually impairs ...

AIM: The lumbar spinal stabilization techniques in abdominal hollowing and bracing are known to facilitate the level of activity in the muscles transversus abdominis and obliquus internus (TA/OI). The relative timing of activation and the effect of combination with other tasks are currently unknown. The objective of this study was ...

To investigate the effect of a structured warm-up programme designed to reduce the incidence of knee and ankle injuries in young people participating in sports. Cluster randomised controlled trial with clubs as the unit of randomisation. 120 team handball clubs from central and eastern Norway (61 clubs in the intervention ...

The Danish and Swedish male top football divisions were studied prospectively from January to June 2001. Exposure to football and injury incidence, severity and distribution were compared between the countries. Swedish players had greater exposure to training (171 vs. 123 h per season, P<0.001), whereas exposure to matches did not ...

BACKGROUND: Although trauma patients often suffer direct lung damage, an equally destructive mechanism of lung injury involves postinjury systemic inflammation. We postulate that secretory phospholipase A(2) (sPLA(2)) release induced by trauma relates to systemic inflammation that compromises both lung function and clinical status after injury. The objectives of this study ...

Methylprednisolone(MP), a glucocorticoid steroid, has an anti-inflammatory action and seems to inhibit the formation of oxygen free radicals produced during lipid peroxidation in a spinal cord injury(SCI). However, the effects of MP on the functional recovery after a SCI is controversial. The present study was conducted to determine the effects ...

There is growing evidence that exercise benefits recovery of neuromuscular function from spinal cord injury (SCI). However, the effect of exercise on gene expression in the spinal cord is poorly understood. We used oligonucleotide microarrays to compare thoracic and lumbar regions of spinal cord of either exercising (voluntary wheel running ...

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Spasticity in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) is difficult to manage. Exercise and stretching is advocated as a management tool, but these activities are difficult to perform for most patients as a result of multiple barriers. This report shows the effect of passive range-of-motion exercise in a walking-like ...

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is the most frequently injured ligament of the knee. Injury causes pain, effusion and inflammation leading to the inability to fully activate the thigh muscles. Regaining muscular control is essential if the individual wishes to return to pre-injury level of function and patients will invariably ...

The objective of this study was to estimate the relative frequency, types of injury, types of exercise, and mechanism of non-equipment exercise-related injury among women 65 and older. Methods included a descriptive analysis of emergency department (ED) visits to hospitals participating in the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS). Researchers ...

The repeat swimming ability and oxygen uptake (Mo2) of adult sockeye salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka (Walbaum), were assessed at ambient water temperatures at three field locations along their migration route. Following these measurements, internal and external fish condition was evaluated according to United States Environmental Protection Agency guidelines. Here we report ...

A large proportion of spinal cord injuries (SCIs) in humans are at the cervical (C) level, but there are few tests to quantitatively assess forelimb motor function after cervical spinal cord injury in rodents. Here, we describe a simple and reliable technique for assessing forelimb grip strength over time. Female ...

BACKGROUND: Lethal injuries can be surgically repaired under asanguineous hypothermic condition (suspended animation) with excellent outcome. However, the optimal rate for the induction of hypothermic metabolic arrest following uncontrolled lethal hemorrhage (ULH) is unknown. METHODS: ULH was induced in 32 female swine (80-120 lbs) by creating an iliac artery and ...

The purpose of this study was to determine the interrelationship among physical activity, injury, and success of rodeo athletes. Seventy-two male Professional Rodeo Cowboys' Association members served as participants and were grouped into timed, steer-wrestling, saddle-bronc, bareback, bull-riding, and multiple rough-stock events. Participants completed demographic and overall physical activity questionnaires. ...

OBJECTIVES: To determine if measurements of static lower limb alignment are related to lower limb injury in recreational runners. METHODS: Static lower limb alignment was prospectively measured in 87 recreational runners. They were observed for the following six months for any running related musculoskeletal injuries of the lower limb. Injuries ...

In the United States alone, there are more than 200,000 individuals living with a chronic spinal cord injury (SCI). Healthcare for these individuals creates a significant economic burden for the country, not to mention the physiological, psychological, and social suffering these people endure everyday. Regaining partial function can lead to ...

Using gonadally intact female cats, we showed previously that estrogen, applied topically to the spinal cord, attenuated the exercise pressor reflex. Although the mechanism by which estrogen exerted its attenuating effect is unknown, this steroid hormone has been shown to influence spinal opioid pathways, which in turn have been implicated ...

AIMS: Seafaring is known as a high-risk industry. The aims were to describe the incidence of non-fatal injuries among seafarers, including testing the hypothesis that long working hours might result in higher injury rates. METHODS: A questionnaire study of injury on the latest tour of duty was carried out among ...

This study examined excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) following arm cranking in men who had a traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). Six physically active SCI men with a lesion level between T10 and T12 and six able-bodied (AB) men who were matched according to upper body peak VO(2) performed 30 ...

An inappropriate tidal volume setting can overstretch and injure the lung. Maximal stretch, tidal stretch, frequency of stretch, and rate of stretch are all implicated in such injury. Moreover, the stretch injury produces systemic injury by liberating cytokines and translocating bacteria in the lung. Clinical trials have shown that limiting ...

Local and systemic inflammation can lead to progression of burn wounds, converting second- to third-degree wounds or extending the burn to adjacent areas. Previous studies have suggested that the skin is an important site of production of nitric oxide (NO), synthesized by inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) activation after injury. ...

A spinal cord injury is a major catastrophe, causing many changes in the patient's lifestyle. These injuries commonly occur to people who were previously active and independent, but after the injury become largely dependent on others for their basic needs. What is needed for such patients is a comprehensive, integrated ...

An integration center subserving locomotor leg movements resides in the upper lumbar spinal cord. If this neuronal network is preserved after a spinal cord injury, it is possible to stimulate this circuitry to initiate and promote walking. The several effective approaches (electrical stimulation, pharmacologic agents, physical therapy training programs) may ...

BACKGROUND: Uncontrolled hemorrhage accounts for the majority of deaths in combat. Effective topical hemostatic agents suitable for use on the battlefield may be valuable in controlling hemorrhage until definitive surgical intervention is possible. In an effort to identify a hemostatic agent suitable for battlefield use, we evaluated several potential hemostatic ...

There is growing evidence of the brain's ability to increase its reliance on alternative metabolic substrates under conditions of energy stress such as starvation, hypoxia and ischemia. We hypothesized that following traumatic brain injury (TBI), which results in immediate changes in energy metabolism, the adult brain increases uptake and oxidation ...

We have conducted a long-term study of spinal cord morphology and motor function recovery in rats that have undergone lumbar spinal demyelination induced by the B-fragment of cholera toxin (CTB)-saporin. We found that, after the initial demyelination and paraplegia, motor function recovered and was stable for up to 9 months, ...

Prospective before-after trial. To examine the changes of natural killer (NK) cell activity in response to orthotic gait exercise in thoracic level of spinal cord-injured (SCI) patients. National Rehabilitation Center for Persons with Disabilities, Japan. In all, 10 thoracic level of SCI patients (ranging Th5-Th12), who experienced orthotic gait training, ...

Individuals with incomplete spinal cord injuries (SCI) retain varying degrees of voluntary motor control. The complexity of the motor control system and the nature of the recording biophysics have inhibited efforts to develop objective measures of voluntary motor control. This paper proposes the definition and use of a voluntary response ...

Following an initial bout of damaging exercise, a successive bout of similar exercise typically results in less injury, known as the "protective effect". Unloading due to spinal cord injury (SCI) increases the susceptibility to contraction-induced muscle injury. We tested the hypothesis that two bouts of isometric actions would evoke the ...

Degenerative disc disease is a common problem affecting millions of people worldwide. It is most often initially treated with conservative management, consisting of analgesics, activity management, and an exercise program to strengthen the musculature that supports the area of the spinal problem. Invasive treatment, including a spinal fusion with or ...

Spinal cord injury (SCI) induces incapacitating neuropathic pain in the form of allodynia-a painful response to normally non-noxious stimuli. Unfortunately, the underlying mechanisms of these sensory changes are not well understood, and effective treatments for allodynia have proven elusive. We examined whether physical exercise can improve sensory function after experimental ...