Ramin Fathian, A. Khandan, Chester Ho, Hossein Rouhani
{"title":"Student Competition (Technology Innovation) ID 1986855","authors":"Ramin Fathian, A. Khandan, Chester Ho, Hossein Rouhani","doi":"10.46292/sci23-1986855s","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.46292/sci23-1986855s","url":null,"abstract":"Up to 70% of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) experience shoulder injuries during their lifetime. Previous studies revealed a link between the risk of shoulder injury and propulsion-related kinetic and kinematic parameters that were measured using SMARTWheel or in-lab motion-capture systems. Despite their high accuracy, these systems are time and labour intensive and not commonly accessible. To develop and validate a portable and accessible method to estimate the duration of the push phase using a hand-mounted inertial measurement unit (IMU). Ten volunteers (7 males, 3 females, age: 28 ± 2 y.o.) consented to participate in the study. An IMU (3D acceleration and angular velocity, sampling frequency: 512 Hz) was attached to participant’s right hand while sitting on the instrumented wheelchair equipped with SMARTWheel (sampling frequency: 240 Hz). The SMARTWheel and IMU readouts were collected while participants were propelling the wheelchair. The peaks in the resultant acceleration and continuous wavelet transform coefficients obtained from IMU were used to identify the hand contact and release, and estimate the push phase duration. No significant differences (p-value = 0.97, 0.89, and 0.94, respectively) were observed between the parameters obtained for the hand contact and release instants and push duration estimated using IMU compared to SMARTWheel with mean errors (standard deviation) of 8.4 (15.2) ms, 3.8 (22.1) ms and −4.6 (24.6) ms, respectively. These findings support the validity of using IMU as a portable alternative to the in-lab systems to estimate the push phase duration of manual wheelchair users.","PeriodicalId":46769,"journal":{"name":"Topics in Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139346612","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Thomas P. Walden, Shajaky Parameswaran, Louise Brisbois, B. C. Craven
{"title":"Post Doc Competition (Knowledge Generation) ID 1987817","authors":"Thomas P. Walden, Shajaky Parameswaran, Louise Brisbois, B. C. Craven","doi":"10.46292/sci23-1987817s","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.46292/sci23-1987817s","url":null,"abstract":"Individuals with a neurologic level of injury (NLI) C1-T10 have an UMN bowel and propensity for external anal sphincter spasm and need chemical/mechanical stimuli to evacuate their bowels versus those with an NLI T11-S5 and LMN bowel whom have a patulous sphincter and complete manual bowel disimpaction. We describe the associations between independence in sphincter control for 5 years following discharge among individuals with traumatic SCI (tSCI). Adults with tSCI (n=113, 80 men) whom completed baseline, 1, 2, and 5-year community follow-up interviews (2014-2021) were included. Responses to the Spinal Cord Independence Measure (SCIM-III) Sphincter Control and Respiration subscores were extracted. Participants were separated into UMN and LMN groups. A linear mixed model determined longitudinal differences in SCIM subscores. NLI and follow-up time points were assigned as fixed effects, age a random effect, and sex as a covariate. Observed differences were compared to the minimal clinically importance difference (MCID) in SCIM-III subscores. The mean difference in SCIM-III subscores was 4.85 between the UMN and LMN bowel groups, with UMN group scoring lower at all-time points (p≤0.017). The mean group difference was equal to the MCID, constituting a substantial meaningful difference. No differences in SCIM subscores were noted across time (p≥0.9), regardless of NLI or bowel impairment. Self-reported sphincter control remains stable for 5 years post-injury, emphasizing the need to maximizing bowel independence before discharge. Individuals with UMN bowel have lower sphincter control scores than individuals with a LMN bowel.","PeriodicalId":46769,"journal":{"name":"Topics in Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139344464","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Student Competition (Technology Innovation) ID 1970388","authors":"Mehdy Dousty, David J. Fleet, J. Zariffa","doi":"10.46292/sci23-1970388s","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.46292/sci23-1970388s","url":null,"abstract":"The evaluation of hand function after spinal cord injury (SCI) is conducted in clinical settings, which may not accurately reflect hand function in the real world, thereby limiting the efficacy assessment of new treatments. Wearable cameras, also known as egocentric video, are a novel method to evaluate hand function in non-clinical environments. Nonetheless, manual processing of vast quantities of complex video data is difficult, highlighting the need for automated data analysis. The objective of this study was to automatically identify distinct hand postures in egocentric video using unsupervised machine learning. Seventeen participants with cervical SCI recorded activities of daily living in a home simulation laboratory. A hand pose estimation algorithm was applied on detected hands to determine 2D joint locations, which were lifted to 3D coordinates. The resulting hand posture information was subjected to a number of clustering techniques. Hand grasps were manually labelled into four categories for evaluation purposes: power, precision, intermediate, and non-prehensile. K-Means clustering consistently exhibited the highest Silhouette score, which reflects the presence of discrete clusters in the data. When comparing with manual annotations, Spectral Clustering applied to a feature space consisting of 2D pose estimation with confidence scores yield the best performance as quantified by maximum match (0.48), Fowlkes-Mallows score (0.46), and normalized mutual information (0.22). This is the first attempt to develop an unsupervised, data-driven hand taxonomy for individuals with SCI using wearable technology. The findings suggest that the method is capable of grouping similar hand grasps.","PeriodicalId":46769,"journal":{"name":"Topics in Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139344699","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jennifer M. Duley, Carmen D. Carmazan, Stephen J. Patton
{"title":"Workshop (Clinical/Best Practice Implementation) ID 2001167","authors":"Jennifer M. Duley, Carmen D. Carmazan, Stephen J. Patton","doi":"10.46292/sci23-2001167s","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.46292/sci23-2001167s","url":null,"abstract":"Hamilton’s Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Regional Rehabilitation Program in collaboration with SCI Consortium is implementing tissue integrity monitoring for pressure injury (PI) prevention. An increased prevalence of PI was found in 2021 - 2022 compared to 2020 on Hamilton’s SCI Rehabilitation Unit. To address this finding, the clinical team introduced a staff and patient education program focused on PI prevention. Upon completion of this workshop, the attendees will be aware of the CQI methodology used to implement the best practices related to tissue integrity and appreciate the education pathway for both staff and patients. Using a Continuous Quality Improvement model, a systematic approach was used to enhance the education model for staff and patients on skin assessment and appropriate interventions. A process map was created outlining steps for each discipline involved in skin assessment, intervention, and patient education. Education plan included Skin & Wound Management workshop, individual and group patient education, daily skin check calendar for patient/staff use. The workshop will be delivered in a lecture format, ending with discussion time. Preliminary data post partial implementation of the education program showed a decrease of 12% in the prevalence of PIs in the patients discharged from the program between July 2022 and March 2023 compared to January 2021 – June 2022. Preliminary results are encouraging in demonstrating that implementation of a comprehensive education plan for staff and patients using a structured framework is effective in reducing the prevalence of pressure injuries in the inpatient SCI rehab unit.","PeriodicalId":46769,"journal":{"name":"Topics in Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139345332","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Workshop (Clinical/Best Practice Implementation) ID 1983439","authors":"K. Ethans, Colleen M. O’Connell","doi":"10.46292/sci23-1983439s","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.46292/sci23-1983439s","url":null,"abstract":"Participants of this workshop will be able to identify and recommend multimodal treatment options in managing challenging cases in spasticity management of lower limbs in spinal cord injury (SCI). The complexities of spasticity management will be identified through case-based presentations, including assessment and treatment directed by patient-oriented goals. Facilitated interactive discussion on these cases will engage participants for input, debate and critique. Procedural techniques for neurolysis will be discussed. Goals of spasticity management in SCI often include both proximal and distal lower limb problems. Therapies include oral medications, chemodenervation with neuromuscular junction blockade with botulinum toxin or neurolysis with phenol, intrathecal baclofen, bracing, and surgery. Many patients require multiple of these therapeutic options during their course of spasticity management. Multimodal therapy as part of the clinician toolbox is essential in tone management. Patient-oriented goals are important guideposts in spasticity management. SCI is a lifespan condition, and often patient goals and health conditions change over the years, requiring different tools to address such longitudinal needs.","PeriodicalId":46769,"journal":{"name":"Topics in Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139345464","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
William Pei, Kai Lon Fok, S. Tajali, Jae W. Lee, Sharmini Atputharaj, Kristin E. Musselman, Kei Masani
{"title":"Student Competition (Knowledge Generation) ID 1973368","authors":"William Pei, Kai Lon Fok, S. Tajali, Jae W. Lee, Sharmini Atputharaj, Kristin E. Musselman, Kei Masani","doi":"10.46292/sci23-1973368s","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.46292/sci23-1973368s","url":null,"abstract":"Individuals with an incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI) have increased risk of falls during walking and standing. Our previous longitudinal pilot study demonstrated that a therapeutic system (FES+VFT system) using functional electrical stimulation (FES) and visual feedback training (VFT) improved the standing balance of individuals with iSCI. This study investigated the orthotic and acute therapeutic effects of FES in the FES+VFT system. Fifteen individuals with iSCI will be recruited for this study. To date, four participants have completed the study. The four participants completed three different sessions. In the first session, participants were evaluated for their balance, postural control and familiarized with the FES+VFT system. In the second and third sessions, the participant completed training sessions with the FES+VFT system with or without FES. Centre of pressure (COP) data were collected via force platforms. Before and after the training, the motor evoked potentials (MEP) of the soleus and tibialis anterior muscles were recorded. There was a greater increase in the total dynamic range of the COP with FES+VFT than VFT (Anterior posterior: increase of 17.5 ± 14.27mm, medial lateral: increase of 17.9 ± 19.45mm). Both the soleus and tibialis anterior muscles showed greater increases in MEP after FES+VFT than VFT (Soleus: 70.4 ± 31.1% vs 5.45 ± 29.1%; Tibialis Anterior: 115.3 ± 234.8% vs 11.0 ± 42.9%). These findings suggest that FES improves the performance of VFT (positive orthotic effect) and increases the corticospinal connection (positive acute therapeutic effect) in individuals with iSCI.","PeriodicalId":46769,"journal":{"name":"Topics in Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139345532","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Workshop (Knowledge Generation) ID 1985178","authors":"John Chernesky","doi":"10.46292/sci23-1985178s","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.46292/sci23-1985178s","url":null,"abstract":"As more research funding agencies require grant applications to include an array of stakeholder expertise, a clear and well-thought-out Engagement Plan is necessary to ensure grant reviewers understand how projects will engage relevant stakeholders. Provide a comprehensive framework for drafting Engagement Plans for grant applications that will strengthen research proposals, help to mitigate tokenism and lead to more meaningful engagement in SCI research. This presentation will describe in detail the key components you should include in your grant Engagement Plan, including tools you can utilize to select ideal project partners, develop an activity timeline, choose appropriate engagement methodologies, and prepare an accurate budget. Drawing on established best-practices in meaningful engagement, this presentation will guide delegates through the various components funding agencies expect to see in a thorough Engagement Plan. A novel framework will be shared that addresses common shortcomings in Engagement Plans and provides clear guidance on the elements to include in your grant submissions. A detailed Engagement Plan clarifies to grant reviewers the steps you intend to take to ensure meaningful engagement in your proposed work, and will help set your application apart in the highly competitive research funding market.","PeriodicalId":46769,"journal":{"name":"Topics in Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139345788","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Elina Provad, Tanha Patel, Kayla Benson, Katherine Chan, Jae W. Lee, Elizabeth L. Inness, D. Wolfe, Kei Masani, Kristin E. Musselman
{"title":"Student Competition (Knowledge Generation) ID 1978805","authors":"Elina Provad, Tanha Patel, Kayla Benson, Katherine Chan, Jae W. Lee, Elizabeth L. Inness, D. Wolfe, Kei Masani, Kristin E. Musselman","doi":"10.46292/sci23-1978805s","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.46292/sci23-1978805s","url":null,"abstract":"Individuals with neurological injury or disease are at increased risk of experiencing falls, highlighting the need for effective balance interventions. A novel system integrating functional electrical stimulation and visual feedback balance training (FES+VFBT) is a promising balance intervention; however, this lab-based system requires a redesign to increase clinical utility. To identify possible challenges and solutions to implementing the FES+VFBT system as a balance intervention, from the perspective of end users. This qualitative study involved three semi-structured focus group meetings to explore participants’ perspectives on the feasibility and potential challenges of implementing FES+VFBT in neurorehabilitation. Two individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI), one individual with stroke, two physiotherapists and one hospital administrator participated. Interview transcripts were analyzed using a deductive-inductive content analysis. The levels of the Social Ecological Model (SEM) were used as themes for the deductive analysis. Categories and codes were detected using an inductive approach. The themes spanned the four levels of the SEM: intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational/training environment and society/policy. Identified categories consisted of possible challenges mapped to the intrapersonal (e.g., lack of knowledge, tolerance of user) and organizational/training environment (e.g., cost, need for space and time, technical challenges) levels. Categories also reflected possible solutions mapped to all SEM levels: intrapersonal (e.g., reading and research), interpersonal (e.g., practicing together), organizational/training environment (e.g., tailoring system parameters, social support), and society/policy (e.g., create guidelines, provide cost options). The findings will be used to improve the FES+VFBT system design and facilitate implementation of the intervention in neurorehabilitation.","PeriodicalId":46769,"journal":{"name":"Topics in Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139346542","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shannon Rockall, James Hektner, Scott Donia, John Chernesky, Vanessa K. Noonan
{"title":"Workshop (Clinical/Best Practice Implementation) ID 1998666","authors":"Shannon Rockall, James Hektner, Scott Donia, John Chernesky, Vanessa K. Noonan","doi":"10.46292/sci23-1998666s","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.46292/sci23-1998666s","url":null,"abstract":"Persons with lived experience of SCI (PLEX) living in rural areas have difficulty accessing optimal care and are required to travel long distances to access specialized services. Clinicians not affiliated with specialized urban centres recognize that developing knowledge and skills specific to SCI will improve care outcomes. Praxis has conducted multiple workshops on SCI topics throughout the BC Interior Health Region to improve clinician knowledge about SCI. Topics include pressure injuries, autonomic dysreflexia, specialized equipment, bowel and bladder, etc. Utilizing evidence-based information and PLEX experiences, these workshops have increased clinician confidence when working with clients with SCI. This interactive workshop explores the development and implementation of the sessions, from the perspectives of a clinician, a PLEX, and a knowledge exchange expert. The goals of this workshop are to: This workshop demonstrates the benefit of SCI knowledge exchange for clinicians working in rural areas. Furthermore, it highlights key factors in developing these workshops, and provides an opportunity to connect with other rural SCI initiatives and networks aimed at enhancing the care and well-being of PLEX.","PeriodicalId":46769,"journal":{"name":"Topics in Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139343834","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Julio C Furlan, S. L. Hitzig, James Milligan, Peter Athanasopoulos, M. Boulos
{"title":"Poster (Health Services, Economics and Policy Change) ID 1969166","authors":"Julio C Furlan, S. L. Hitzig, James Milligan, Peter Athanasopoulos, M. Boulos","doi":"10.46292/sci23-1969166s","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.46292/sci23-1969166s","url":null,"abstract":"We studied the feasibility of a home-based screening sleep test (HBSST), the validity of four questionnaires used to screen for sleep-related breathing disorders (SRBDs), and the potential association between SRBD and clinical features in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). Adults with subacute/chronic (>1 month post-injury) SCI were recruited for the cross-sectional study and qualitative analysis. Feasibility of the HBSST was objectively evaluated and participants shared their experience. We also examined the validity of the Berlin, STOP, Medical Outcomes Study Sleep Scale [MOS-SS], and STOP-Bang screening questionnaires. We investigated the association between the degree of SRBD and three features (i.e., neck circumference, body mass index [BMI] and oropharynx opening as assessed using the Modified Mallampati classification [MMC]). There were 13 females and 18 males with ages varying from 20 to 86 years (mean age: 54.7 years) with motor complete (n=8) or incomplete SCI at cervical (n=21) or thoraco-lumbar levels. Time since SCI varied from 1.5 to 474 months. Overall, 28 individuals completed the HBSST and endorsed its feasibility. Mean apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was 17.3 events/hour (range: 0.5-83.7). AHI was significantly correlated with Berlin (p=0.036) and STOP-Bang scores (p=0.009). There was no significant correlation between AHI and MOS-SS (p=0.348) or STOP (p=0.165). AHI was not associated with neck circumference (p=0.614), BMI (p=0.958), or MMC (p=0.335). Our results suggest that HBSST is a feasible screening method, and Berlin and STOP-Bang are valid screening questionnaires for the SCI population. AHI was not correlated with BMI, neck circumference, or MMC.","PeriodicalId":46769,"journal":{"name":"Topics in Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139343893","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}