SCI Care: What Really Matters

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Alexander (Sasha) Rabchevsky joins Dr. Michael Fehlings to discuss autonomic and cardiovascular control after spinal cord injury, promising neuromodulation results, and the future of SCI research  Learning goals: Cover the importance of autonomic function and cardiovascular control after SCI Discuss the impact of neuromodulation in SCI Provide an overview of future research di...

Send us Fan Mail Caroline Treanor chats with Dr. Michael Fehlings about degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) structured rehabilitation approaches as well as the highly anticipated upcoming ReMiDY trial.  Learning objectives: What is degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) and why is it important? Discussed the ReMiDY trial and the importance of evaluating structured rehabilitation for DCM Covered...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Michael Fehlings is joined by Dr. Chester Ho – one of the new Associate Editors at Spinal Cord.  The conversation covers Dr. Ho’s perspectives on the current state of spinal cord injury research and opportunities for implementing evidence-based approaches in the clinic.  Learning goals: The concept of early surgical intervention for acute spinal cord injury was discussed The C...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Michael Fehlings is joined by Dr. Mohit Arora to discuss his recent publication in Spinal Cord “Evidence-based recommendations for health professionals to improve care of people with spinal cord injury and cognitive impairment: An update to the psychosocial clinical practice guide”. This episode covers the factors contributing cognitive impairment after SCI, cognitive screenin...

Send us Fan Mail The Engagement and Peer Support SIG would like to bring the audience through the story of peer support from a historical perspective to its research implications. Teri, Erik, Shane, and Gill will provide how peer support came to be, what it looks like and how different it is, the magic behind it, and how to transform that magic to measurable outcomes and impacts. Speakers Shane Sw...

Send us Fan Mail Key points: International collaboration is required to produce research that can be interpreted and applied across different regions As outcome measures and collection methods continue to evolve a methodical approach to updating research best practices is required A larger focus should be on including the thoughts of persons with lived SCI experience when defining research questio...

Send us Fan Mail People with the lived experience of SCIs are one of the most vulnerable groups of in the world-both to the extreme heat and weather events which have increased in frequency because of climate change. Although health care professionals have an opportunity to educate their patients about actions they can use to protect themselves during these extreme weather events, many feel unprep...

Send us Fan Mail Key points: This podcast summarizes the results of a rigorous evaluation of the evidence for physiotherapy interventions in spinal cord injury using the GRADE methodology Muscle strengthening exercises are effective for partially paralyzed muscles with MRC Grade 3 and 4 strength Further evidence is required in the optimal management of severely paretic muscles Speaker:  Dr. Joanne...

Send us Fan Mail Rebuilding a sense of meaning and purpose following trauma is a vital contributor to post-traumatic growth and adapting well to a spinal cord injury (SCI). This webinar shared the co-design process undertaken to develop a course that uses the concept of post-traumatic growth to foster a stronger sense of meaning and purpose after SCI. It presented the course facilitators' ref...

Send us Fan Mail Points: Cauda equina syndrome (CES) is a common emergency condition that neurosurgeons and spine surgeons deal with. The long term consequences and the impact on the person dealing with CES are poorly defined. This podcast explores the impact of CES on the person, including pain and autonomic dysfunction, and management strategies which can be implemented by health care profession...

Send us Fan Mail Helen Smith (Ms) Consultant Clinical Psychologist  Joe Robinson, Group member and co-facilitator, freelance artist and co-author of "The Very Alternative Guide to Spinal Cord Injury"  SCI is a rare condition, not well-understood outside specialist centres. Those who walk again are seen as "lucky" and not "disabled". In fact they have invisible disabil...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Michael G. Fehlings discusses the future of stem cell therapies for spinal cord injury with Intissar Mohcine & Asma Belarbi , high-school students from the Netherlands.  Key points: 1) Stem cells are a promising therapeutic approach to repair the damaged spinal cord following injury. 2) Preclinical studies have shown exciting improvements in spinal cord structure and motor...

Send us Fan Mail The podcast for World SCI Day 2025, themed “Fall Prevention, Spinal Cord Protection,” focuses on raising awareness about the critical issue of fall-related spinal cord injuries and how they can be prevented. Falls are one of the leading causes of SCI worldwide, especially among vulnerable populations such as the elderly and individuals in high-risk environments. Discussion was bas...

Send us Fan Mail Key points: 1) The incidence and prevalence of spinal cord injury are rising due to an aging population, increased falls with incomplete cervical injuries and the impact of nontraumatic spinal cord injury. 2) With this increased incidence of traumatic and nontraumatic SCI, there is a growing need for Spinal Cord Injury Medicine specialists . This has resulted in increased training...

Send us Fan Mail The International Spinal Cord Injury Survey (InSCI) found that sleep problems rank among the top six most common and debilitating health issues for people with SCI — and are the second most likely to go untreated.  While rehabilitation centres routinely manage issues like pain, spasticity, and bladder, bowel, and sexual dysfunction, sleep is often overlooked.  Risk screening for s...

Send us Fan Mail Key points: Key sensory afferent pathways from the urinary bladder to the spinal cord often remain intact in spinal cord injuries above the level of the conus medullaris.  b) The urinary bladder wall urothelial cells, sensory nerves, interstitial cells, smooth muscle cells and the chemo/mechanosensors in the urethral paraneurons or “brush cells” play a key role in bladder neurophy...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Michael Fehlings - Professor of Neurosurgery, Robert Campeau Family Foundation-Dr. CH Tator Chair in Brain and Spinal Cord Research, Vice Chairman Research), Co-Director Spine Program, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto and Editor in Chief of Spinal Cord. Dr Carlotte Kiekens - Head of the Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine Unit at Ospedale San Giuseppe, IRCCS Multi...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Dr François Theron and Dr Federico Montero preview the upcoming 4th ISCoS International Regional Symposia , to be held on 18–19 July 2025 at the Rebouças Convention Center, São Paulo, Brazil . They share what makes this year’s symposia exceptional — from the diversity of its global speaker faculty to the urgent clinical and scientific themes being addressed. Toget...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Michael Fehlings - Professor of Neurosurgery, Robert Campeau Family Foundation-Dr. CH Tator Chair in Brain and Spinal Cord Research, Vice Chairman Research), Co-Director Spine Program, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto and Editor in Chief of Spinal Cord. Prof. Ashley Craig - Professor at Kolling Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney. Th...

Send us Fan Mail Traumatic SCI is a relatively common occurrence in rural areas of low income countries. However, rehabilitation services in these areas are either unavailable or inaccessible by the majority. Psychosocial services are scarce and hardly tailored towards a diagnosis such as traumatic SCI. Left with no option, healthcare professionals such as nurses, medical doctors, surgeons and the...

Send us Fan Mail ISCoS OT and PT SIGs SCI Pre Workshop Day “Implementation of WHO:s Rehab 2030, Package of Interventions” How do we implement available research into interventions in our daily work? Speaker details: Guillermo Gomez, Physiotherapist from Buenos Aires, Argentina and Johanna Wangdell OT, PhD. Department of Occupational therapy and Physiotherapy at Sahlgrenska University hospital Goth...

Send us Fan Mail The SCI Care: What Really Matters podcast aims to provide valuable insights and the most up-to-date information for those providing care to people with spinal cord injury (SCI) worldwide. The vision of the International Spinal Cord Society (ISCoS) is to "facilitate healthy and inclusive lives for people with spinal cord injury or dysfunction globally". The opinions of ou...

Send us Fan Mail The International Spinal Cord Society and Wellspect present a transformative discussion on changing care perspectives for individuals with spinal cord injuries, featuring leading medical experts Dr Charalampos Konstantinidis from the National Rehabilitation Centre and Dr Christina-Anastasia Rapidi from the General Hospital of Athens. Host Kristijan Kesinovic guides the conversatio...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, host Rima Kamal (Wellspect) explores the complexities of caring for children with spina bifida with Dr Fahad Alyami , Head of the Saudi Paediatric Urology Group and Associate Professor at King Faisal Specialty Hospital and Research Centre in Riyadh. The discussion delves into the critical aspects of paediatric care for those with spina bifida, from early intervent...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, released to coincide with World Spina Bifida Day , host Anders Tennby (Wellspect) explores the challenges and opportunities in improving life quality for those with spina bifida. Joined by experts Hanna Gabrielsson from Sweden and Pierre Mertens from Belgium, the discussion delves into the complexities of this congenital disorder. Gabrielsson, a registered nurse w...