title: Spinal-cord injury.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Spinal Cord Injury Neuro-Rehabilitation Section, and Restorative Treatment and Research Program, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO 63110, USA. mcdonald@neuro.wustl.edu
authors.forename: John W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: McDonald
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sadowsky
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation