Get in Motion is a nation-wide physical activity counseling service for Canadians with spinal cord injury This FREE service is designed to provide participants with the information and support they may need to meet personal physical activity goals, or just a little motivation to get started with a physically active lifestyle. To participate or receive more information from a physical activity counselor, please call the voicemail line at 1-866-678-1966, or email motion@mcmaster.ca or visit www.sciactioncanada.ca.
The results are in and Canadian viewers have spoken. After seven weeks of intense competition, Jamie Salé and Craig Simpson were declared the final winners of the BATTLE OF THE BLADES, Salé and Simpson receive $100,000 for donation to their charity of choice: The Spinal Cord Injury Treatment Centre (Northern Alberta) Society (SCITCS).
I wish to thank Jamie and Craig for their tremendous effort, for sacrificing time away from their families and for choosing SCITCS as the recipient of their winnings. I wish to thank everyone across Canada who has spent their Sunday evenings, for the past seven weeks, voting for the winning pair. Every cent of their $100,000 winnings will go towards a Research Chair in spinal cord injury at the University of Alberta. The voting effort has been beyond description. For example six Spinal Cord Injury Treatment Centre Society volunteers voted 10,000 times on Sunday evening during the seven-hour voting window.
We are the Never Say… “Never” Virtual Society
No Buildings, No Staff, 100% Volunteers
Louise Miller C.M. MBA
President SCITCS
20 Year Anniversary 1987--2007
The Reha FES Outdoor Tricycle arrived MARCH 2007:
SCITCS has donated the $23,000 Tricycle to the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta under lead researcher Richard Stein Ph.D of the Rehabilitation Neuroscience Group.
The Tricycle was developed at the University of Glasgow Scotland by Ken Hunt Ph.D engineer and manufactured by Hasomed of Germany.
To view a video of the Tricycle being used by a person with a spinal cord injury to cycle around Bellahoustan Park in Glasgow see FUTURE
Spinal Cord Injury Treatment Centre Society Newsletters As new newsletters come available you can read them here.
Download a copy of the most recent newsletter - Summer 2006
The SCITCS FES Clinic at The Steadward Centre Named 1993
The SCITCS FES Research Laboratory. Named 2006 to participate in research projects call 780 492-8480
The Board of Directors of SCITCS is immensely proud of the SCITCS FES Research Laboratory, which was named June 20th 2006 to recognize SCITCS continued support for Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) research over a period of almost 20 years 1987-2006.The Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry named the "SCITCS FES Research Laboratory" in recognition of the provision of two SpectraSTIM 4M four channel muscle stimulators, two Ergys Clinical Rehabilitation Systems and Accessories, one Ergys Data Management Station www.musclepower.com, Concept ll rower with the addition of adaptations and FES www.fesrowing.org and an FES Arm Cranking Trainer--The first of its kind in North America developed at the University of Glasgow fesnet.eng.gla.ac.uk/CRE/ manufactured by Hasomed of Germany www.hasomed.de NOTE: See Research to learn more about the FES research being conducted in the SCITCS FES Research Laboratory.
SCITCS donated $26,420 to the SCITCS FES Clinic in the year 2006
SCITCS donated $157,743 to the SCITCS FES Research Facility in the year 2006
The University of Alberta has received a total of $184,163 for the year 2006
DARING TO LIVE: Personal Stories of Courage The book was released with great results. It made it to the Edmonton Top 10 list for 6 weeks. To purchase $19.99. Call 780 436-5606 Check out the book and the reviews here.
Research:
Vivian K. Mushawhar, PhD Researcher in Spinal Cord Injury and Rehabilitation Engineering
Download Current Research Article from SCITCS News
READ HOW A YOUNG MAN WITH GREAT DETERMINATION AND THE HELP OF RESEARCHERS AT THE CENTRE FOR NEUROSCIENCE LEARNED TO STAND AND WALK
Scott Oster, a 26 year old, who had a spinal cord injury at the T4/T5 level in April 2001, used the FES equipment in the Spinal Cord Injury Treatment Centre Society (SCITCS) Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) Exercise Clinic located in The Steadward Centre at the University of Alberta to rebuild his legs. This included the FES rowing machine developed by Drs. Wheeler and Andrews at The Steadward Centre and a wheelchair propelled by FES attached to his legs, which was developed by Kelly James and Dr. Stein in the Rehabilitation Neuroscience group at the University of Alberta. However, his real desire was to walk again and for that purpose Dr. Stein and Robert Rolf worked with Frank Hayday of Karl Hager Limb and Brace to combine FES with a new kind of brace, called a stance-controlled knee-ankle-foot orthosis (KAFO), developed by Gary Horton in Little Rock, Arkansas.
See video of Braces and Electrodes
The second video clip shows Scott Oster standing and walking with the system in April 2005. To stand two buttons on the walker are pushed together and that straightens the leg and locks the brace as he stands up. To advance the left leg the left button is pushed which unlocks the brace and stimulates flexor muscles in the leg. To advance the right leg, the right button is pushed. When no buttons are pushed, the braces are locked to help support his weight without stimulation. Scott has used the system for nearly two years on a daily basis at home near Drumheller, Alberta where he is a grain farmer. A high point was when he could walk to the altar and stand with his sister as part of the bridal party when his sister got married.
See video of Scott Standing and Walking
*takes approx 33 minutes to download using dial-up. 2 minutes with hi-speed
SEE THE FUTURE
Approximately 2 million people worldwide live with a spinal cord injury. In addition to the mobility limitations, there is an insidious side effect of not having full use of your body--- the inability to work your cardiovascular system. The resulting decline in physical fitness contributes to a loss of nearly 10 years of life expectancy for this population.” (1)
Since 1987 SCITCS has sought to improve the health and independence of people with spinal cord injuries by promoting and financially supporting functional electrical stimulation (FES) research. FES uses direct electrical stimulation of the muscles to bypass the spinal cord and enable the use of one’s limbs. 1990 SCITCS donated the first ERGYS I Rehabilitation System in Western Canada.
June 20th, 2006. The Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry named the SCITCS FES Research Facility in recognition of the provision of two SpectraSTIM 4M 4 channel muscle stimulators, two ERGYS Clinical Rehabilitation Systems and Accessories, one ERGYS Data Management Station www.musclepower.com, Concept II rower with the addition of the adaptations and FES www.fesrowing.org, and an Arm Cranking Trainer – The first of its kind in North America fesnet.eng.gla.ac.uk/CRE/ manufactured by Hasomed of Germany www.hasomed.de
December 2006. SCITCS donated a Magstim $23,900 to the SCITCS FES Research Facility. It uses magnetic stimulation enabling the researchers to assess protect and improve the function of the nervous system in various clinical and research situations. It works by inducing a small transient electrical current in human tissue. This is a non-invasive process and stimulation is is achieved by holding a stimulating coil close to the body. www.magstim.com
The following research projects will be conducted in the SCITCS FES Research Facility (SFRF) using the FES equipment provided by SCITCS to include an additional donation of $80,123.56 to research the development of deep pressure sore formation. In addition the Board of Directors of SCITCS has approved partial financial support towards the provision of a physiotherapist to assist clients and researchers.
Pressure Ulcers
RESEARCHERS: Leandro Solis and Selina Gyawali
2009 phase 1 has been completed.
Problem:
Any individual with compromised mobility and/or sensation can be affected by pressure ulcers. People with spinal cord injury are among those most at risk, with incidence rates ranging from 29% to 80%.
- The cost to treat a single pressure ulcer can range from $15,800 to $72,680 USD depending on the severity of the ulcer. In North America these costs add up to $2.2 to $3.6 billion USD every year. Severe ulcers can lead to the death of the individual
- Current detection techniques are based on skin inspections, which are ineffective in detecting pressure ulcers developing in the deep tissue layers. Deep ulcers can go undetected for a long time, and by the time they exhibit any skin changes the damage is irreversible.
- Current prevention techniques include the use of wheelchair cushions or bed mattresses made of special materials. While helpful, these techniques provide only static pressure relief. Frequent repositioning is the ideal prevention technique, but this is limited by each individual’s ability to do so on his/her own, or the availability of a second person to assist. To date no prevention technique has consistently lowered the incidence rates over the years
Goals
- Identify a set of hematochemical markers that can act as indicators of the early stages of deep pressure ulcer development.
- Develop a system that elicits periodic contractions of the gluteus muscles, generating periodic pressure relief and allowing restoration of blood flow to the deep tissue, effectively preventing the onset of deep ulcers.
Methods
- Blood samples will be analyzed periodically to monitor changes in hematochemical markers most susceptible to deep tissue injury.
- Intermittent electrical stimulation will be applied periodically through skin electrodes to the gluteus muscles to elicit muscle contractions.
- The stimulation paradigm will be optimized for each individual by performing deep tissue oxygenation measurements with MRI, seating interface pressure measurements, and the development of a Finite Element computer model of the gluteus muscles to predict the levels of internal pressure.
Impact of Project
- Current detection techniques are based only on skin inspections that are ineffective for the detection of deep ulcers. A technique that can reliably detect the earliest stages of deep pressure ulcer formation will provide physicians with adequate time to treat before it fully develops.
- The development of a system capable of preventing deep ulcers in people with reduced mobility will spare them the long and costly treatments required to heal ulcers. This will greatly reduce the negative impact ulcers have on their quality of life.
Contact: Leandro Solis (MSc Student)
Participants are required to have a complete spinal cord injury for deep pressure ulcer research.
Call: 492-8480 or email leandro@ualberta.ca to enquire as to your eligibility.
