Spinal cord injury SCI

Injured Humboldt Bronco Ryan Straschnitzki off to U.S. for ‘just better’ spinal rehab

19-year-old Alberta hockey player, paralyzed in deadly bus crash, offered specialized care in Philadelphia. Humboldt Broncos hockey player Ryan Straschnitzki was left paralyzed by a bus crash in April that killed 16 and injured him … READ MORE

Non-invasive spinal stimulation method enables paralyzed people to regain use of hands

More than 1.2 million Americans are living with paralysis from spinal cord injuries, which results in loss of the ability to perform such tasks as opening a water bottle. Nonsurgical technique allows them to turn doorknobs, open water … READ MORE

‘This is not the end’ – Sledge hockey Paralympian shares hope, experience with injured Humboldt Broncos

Message from Kevin Rempel, who fought to walk again, gives insights into the road ahead after traumatic injury. Canadian Paralympian Kevin Rempel placed his sledge hockey sticks on the balcony of his Toronto condominium in memory of … READ MORE

Paralympian headed to Pyeongchang prefers the downhill event

‘It’s the biggest, the baddest and the fastest’ says Kurt Oatway. Kurt Oatway will compete for Canada at the 2018 Paralympics in Peonchang, South Korea. CBC News Kurt Oatway is a sit-skier on the Canadian Paralympic … READ MORE

Leaning into the Ogo – seated Segway

In a 2016 video, a man seated on a cool-looking modified Segway called an Ogo wowed viewers with a slick demo of the device’s hands-free driving capabilities. By simply leaning in the direction he wanted to go, the rider … READ MORE

UBC researcher prescribes specific exercise dosage for spinal cord injury

New research, led by UBC Okanagan Professor Kathleen Martin Ginis, has determined that exercise is essential for people living with disabilities—especially those with spinal cord injuries. Kathleen Martin Ginis chats about physical … READ MORE

New South Wales Brainwave Camp at Point Wolstoncroft

LAKE Macquarie has turned on the fun for 12 special families from across NSW. The families have children with neurological conditions such as cerebral palsy, acquired brain injury, and epilepsy. Point Wolstoncroft Sport and Recreation … READ MORE

Freedom through mobility – adaptive cycling liberates kids, adults, and veterans

Project Mobility, the charitable arm of The Bike Rack in St. Charles, is hosting its fifth annual bike ride fundraiser dubbed Everybody Rides 2017 on Sept. 24 at James O. Breen Community Park in St. Charles, Illinois, near Chicago. … READ MORE

Brain-computer interface advance allows fast, accurate typing by people with paralysis

Stanford University School of Medicine Clinical research led by Stanford University investigators has demonstrated that a brain-to-computer hookup can enable people with paralysis to type via direct brain control at the highest speeds … READ MORE

Phone app helps people with ALS speak using just their eyes

GazeSpeak runs on a smartphone and uses artificial intelligence to convert eye movements into speech, so a conversation partner can understand what is being said in real time. The eyes say it all. GazeSpeak, Enable Team, Microsoft … READ MORE

Getting the equipment you need and learning to self-advocate

It all started when I was in rehab dealing with a particularly insensitive sales rep from a major mobility company who seemed far more concerned with an upcoming Hawaiian vacation than properly outfitting me with my first wheelchair. … READ MORE

Extending your reach

Unlike most cold-climate wheelers, Dave Kott can’t wait until the first snowfall at his Minnesota home. It’s then that he can put to the test his newly improved, homemade snow plow that runs with the use of actuators, similar to … READ MORE

Stimulator bypasses spine injury, helps patients move hands

Experimental treatment improves grip, finger motion up to 300 percent in quadriplegics. Stimulator Bypasses Spine Injury, Helps Patients Move Hands. An experimental procedure involving an implanted spinal stimulator is showing early … READ MORE

Experimental scaffold hasn’t reversed her paralysis, but she’s embraced life ‘with wheels as legs’

Jesi Stracham used to captivate biotech investors and inadvertently move markets with social media posts documenting her dogged quest to get out of her wheelchair and back onto her feet. Jesi Stracham participates in an adaptive water … READ MORE

Walking uses more than just feet

We humans walk with our feet. This is true, but not entirely. Walking, as part of locomotion, is a coordinated whole-body movement that involves both the arms and legs. Walking is a whole-body movement. Arm and leg movements are … READ MORE

Comparison of a conventional knee-ankle-foot orthosis and a new powered KAFO

Evaluation of gait symmetry in poliomyelitis. A new powered knee–ankle–foot orthosis can improve gait symmetry for poliomyelitis subjects by influencing step width, swing time, stance time percentage, and knee flexion during swing … READ MORE

Shooting action sports photography as a quadriplegic

While playing baseball at the age of 21, an ill-advised slide into third base cost Loren Worthington the use of his limbs. 30 years later, he’s now a talented sports photographer whose work earned him a job capturing adaptive sports … READ MORE

SCI life: Accessibility pioneer

The world that existed before the ADA is still fresh in the mind of J.R. Harding. Paralyzed in a 1982 schoolyard fight, Harding, a C5 quadriplegic, had to work hard for the life he wanted. A friend of high-profile politicians, a … READ MORE

Ervin: Managed care mobility device replacement

Mike Ervin. I’m sorry if I’ve seemed preoccupied lately. There’s a lot on my mind. I’m trying to word my appeal. Actually, I’m trying to word my appeal of the denial of my appeal. My first appeal was denied so my next … READ MORE

Big data in healthcare goes far beyond EHR

Big data has applications in medtech that extend far beyond electronic health records. An analytics expert explains how data and algorithms have the potential to create a neuroassistive device to help paralyzed patients. In 2014, Ian … READ MORE

My SCI taught me to say “Yes” to new experiences

Living with a T4 spinal cord injury allows me do things I never would have in the course of my ordinary life — it taught me to say “yes” to new experiences. Flying a glider is an activity Dalton probably would never have tried … READ MORE

I’m the first quadriplegic person to regain thought-control of my arm

After being paralysed six years ago, Ian Burkhart is now able to swipe a credit card and play the computer game Guitar Hero, thanks to a device that uses machine learning to read his thoughts and stimulate his arm. Ian Burkhart, Ohio … READ MORE

AFO users must rethink concept of ‘normal’ gait

Ankle foot orthoses can make a neuromuscular patient’s gait pattern more like that of an unaffected person, but the devices can also be associated with compensations of their own. And in some patients, a more ‘normal’ gait … READ MORE

Rockers and rollovers: Implications for AFOs

Practitioners and researchers are redefining rocking and rolling as key components of gait, and designing ankle foot orthoses and other orthotic and prosthetic devices to specifically address impairments in the way certain patients … READ MORE

Gait and energy efficiency of stance control knee–ankle–foot orthoses

Stance control orthoses are a new generation of orthotic intervention that could potentially be significant in assisting to improve the gait kinematics by knee-ankle-foot orthosis users. The use of knee-ankle-foot orthoses with drop … READ MORE

Get ready for the world’s first Cyborg Olympics

At the Zurich games, people with disabilities will use robotics to go for the gold. Gearing Up: In a November training session, cyborg cyclist Michael McClellan takes a turn around a Cleveland park. Photo: Nathaniel Welch. IEEE … READ MORE

Paralyzed people regain movement using brain interfaces

After doctors bridge his spinal injury with electronics, a paralyzed man can control his arm with his thoughts. On the ceiling of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, God reaches out to touch Adam. The eye locks on the small gap … READ MORE

Paraplegic man walks with own legs again

American man, 26, completes 3.5-metre course thanks to computer system that reroutes signals from his brain to electrodes on his knees. Fig. 1. Partial picture of the overground walking course, depicting the BCI-Parastep system, the … READ MORE

HARMONY exoskeleton helps patients recover strength and motor skills

Texas engineers introduce advanced upper body rehabilitation robot. HARMONY was specially designed to offer customized therapy for optimal efficacy. Not only does the exoskeleton adjust to patient size, it can also be programmed to be … READ MORE

Robotic glove for post-stroke hand rehabilitation

Initial rehabilitation therapy for many stroke victims may focus on regaining the ability to walk. But when hands also are affected, therapy focused only on the legs can leave hand muscles contracted, a condition that can be difficult … READ MORE

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