ICORD
type: channel
date: 2022-08-22T21:46:56Z
update period: hourly
update frequency: 1
update base: 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00
items: Leg cycling increases cardiorespiratory activity in tetraplegia
items: SCI impairs heart function due to impaired sympathetic control
items: Impact of COVID-19 on depression, anxiety, and quality of life in people with SCI
items: Physiological responses during active video games in SCI
items: Oxygen uptake during adapted rowing versus arm cycle
items: SCI exercise in hospital and community settings
items: Upper-body activity in boxing and battle rope exercise
items: Autonomic nervous system in paralympic athletes following SCI
items: Patient perspectives on SCI
items: Peer mentorships and benefits for individuals with SCI

Leg cycling increases cardiorespiratory activity in tetraplegia
type: item
creator: Jocelyn C.
date: 2022-08-22T21:46:56Z
subject: Blog
description: Lay summary and graphic by Preshon Pillay Edited by Jocelyn Chan This is a lay summary of the paper Jan Elaine Soriano, Rinaldo Romac, Jordan W. Squair, Otto F. Barak, Zoe K. Sarafis, Amanda H.X. Lee, Geoff B. Coombs, Bita Read More...
encoded: Lay summary and graphic by Preshon Pillay Edited by Jocelyn Chan This is a lay summary of the paper Jan Elaine Soriano, Rinaldo Romac, Jordan W. Squair, Otto F. Barak, Zoe K. Sarafis, Amanda H.X. Lee, Geoff B. Coombs, Bita Vaseghi, Christopher Grant, Rebecca Charbonneau, Tanja Mijacika, Andrei V. Krassioukov, Philip N. Ainslie, Kelly A. Larkin-Kaiser, Aaron A. Phillips, and Zeljko Dujic. Read the original article here. People who have suffered a spinal cord injury (SCI) have an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. This is especially true for those who live with tetraplegia, a loss of function in all four limbs. Physical activity and exercise have been proven to benefit health outcomes in people living with an SCI such as reducing the elevated cardiovascular disease risk. However, most current recommendations are for moderate to vigorous exercise involving primarily the arms, which might be challenging for individuals with a cervical SCI to undertake. There has been new evidence suggesting that exercising paralyzed legs could provide similar health benefits. How was the study done? The study enrolled 12 individuals with a traumatic cervical SCI between the age of 18-65 years, in which the individuals sustained their SCI at least 1 year prior to inclusion in the study. Participants rested laying down for 15 minutes, during which a baseline measurement was taken including heart rate and blood pressure. The setup for passive cycling and the protocol used in this study can be seen in Figure 1 along with a video publicly available here. Cycling was performed for 10 minutes at a speed of 29 ± 1 revolutions per minute in which cardiovascular and respiratory parameters were constantly monitored. These parameters included the following: <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="51609" data-permalink="https://icord.org/2022/08/leg-cycling/passive-leg-cycling-parameters-image/" data-orig-file="https://icord.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Passive-Leg-Cyclin…

SCI impairs heart function due to impaired sympathetic control
type: item
creator: Jocelyn C.
date: 2022-08-16T18:36:22Z
subject: Blog
description: Lay summary by Noah Kaiser, Malachy Frey, Chris West Edited by Jocelyn Chan This is a lay summary of the original Nature Communications research article by Mary Fossey, Shane Balthazaar, Jordan Squair, Alexandra Williams, Malihe-Sadat Poormasjedi-Meibod, Tom Nightingale, Erin Erskine, Brian Read More...
encoded: Lay summary by Noah Kaiser, Malachy Frey, Chris West Edited by Jocelyn Chan This is a lay summary of the original Nature Communications research article by Mary Fossey, Shane Balthazaar, Jordan Squair, Alexandra Williams, Malihe-Sadat Poormasjedi-Meibod, Tom Nightingale, Erin Erskine, Brian Hayes, Mehdi Ahmadian, Garett Jackson, Diana Hunter, Katharine Currie, Teresa Tsang, Matthias Walter, Jonathan Little, Matt Ramer, Andrei Krassiokov, Chris West. The goal of this study was to describe the upper-body movement patterns during seated boxing and battling rope exercises in individuals with motor-complete spinal cord injury (SCI). Specifically, the researchers looked at trunk muscle activation patterns and upper-body kinematics (motion analysis without considering force). Trunk muscles can generally be thought of as upper-body muscles since the trunk refers to the torso, which contains the chest, abdomen, pelvis and back. Therefore, trunk muscles are very important for both breathing and movement. Why is this study important? This study is significant because it demonstrates how and why the heart changes after spinal cord injury (SCI). The findings from this work could help us to design therapies to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and improve heart function in individuals with a SCI. How was the study done and what were the results? This paper was split into two separate parts: Part 1 The research in part one was performed via clinical trials on individuals with SCI and other experimental models. The clinical trials were performed on individuals with a high-level spinal cord injury (SCI). Non-invasive methods were used to image the heart, and the outcome was that there is a gradual drop in left ventricle (LV) structure. The left ventricle is one of the four large chambers of the heart. Specifically, there was no change in the heart structure at 6 months post-SCI but structure was reduced by 2 years post-injury. This highlights a plausible window for intervent…

Impact of COVID-19 on depression, anxiety, and quality of life in people with SCI
type: item
creator: Jocelyn C.
date: 2022-08-15T20:27:32Z
subject: Blog
description: Lay summary and infographic by Justin Yap Edited by Crystal Han and Jocelyn Chan This is a lay summary of the article by Alejandro García-Rudolph, Joan Saurí, Jaume López Carballo, Blanca Cegarra, Mark Andrew Wright, Eloy Opisso, Josep María Tormos. Read More...
encoded: Lay summary and infographic by Justin Yap Edited by Crystal Han and Jocelyn Chan This is a lay summary of the article by Alejandro García-Rudolph, Joan Saurí, Jaume López Carballo, Blanca Cegarra, Mark Andrew Wright, Eloy Opisso, Josep María Tormos. Read the original article here. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about many changes to the daily lives of individuals worldwide such as physical distancing, an increase in unemployment, and restrictions on services such as non-essential travel, businesses, and access to healthcare. Previous research has shown that individuals with disabilities during non-pandemic times are more likely to experience lower socioeconomic status, overall health and employment rates. While the impact may vary among individuals of different socioeconomic statuses, ages, regions and public health orders across the world, it remains unknown how the pandemic has affected the mental health of individuals with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI). What is the purpose of the study? This study investigates the psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals with chronic SCI by comparing self-rating questionnaire scores on community integration, quality of life, anxiety and depression before and during COVID-19. How was the study conducted? 175 individuals with chronic SCI (tetraplegia/paraplegia) were included in this study based on past in-person assessments from a hospital Researchers provided study participants with 3 types of online questionnaires: Hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS): measures participants’ frequency of symptoms of anxiety and depression through a self-rated scale Community integration questionnaire (CIQ): measures participants’ engagement and frequency of engagement in 3 different categories Home integration (e.g. grocery shopping, household chores) Social integration (e.g. personal finances) Productive activities (e.g. work, volunteer) World health organization quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF): evaluates the qu…

Physiological responses during active video games in SCI
type: item
creator: Jocelyn C.
date: 2022-08-15T20:03:13Z
subject: Blog
description: Lay summary and infographic by Justin Yap Edited by Crystal Han and Jocelyn Chan This is a lay summary of the article by Amanda Barboza Tosi, Julio Cesar Silva de Sousa, Cláudia Lúcia de Moraes Forjaz, and Camila Torriani-Pasin. Read Read More...
encoded: Lay summary and infographic by Justin Yap Edited by Crystal Han and Jocelyn Chan This is a lay summary of the article by Amanda Barboza Tosi, Julio Cesar Silva de Sousa, Cláudia Lúcia de Moraes Forjaz, and Camila Torriani-Pasin. Read the original article here. Exercise for people with spinal cord injury (SCI) helps reduce the risk of adverse cardiovascular function and obesity. However, there are several obstacles hindering physical activity participation, such as accessing exercise facilities, lack of resources, and engaging activities. Lack of physical activity may lead to adverse health outcomes. Active video games (AVG) are video games that involve body movement to participate. Past studies have found the use of AVG as a form of exercise helps overcome some of the barriers to exercise for people with SCI by demonstrating a positive effect on psychological (calmness and tension) and motivational components (reduced pain). While AVG shows potential in reducing barriers to exercise and improving health benefits, the required intensity of AVG to obtain these health benefits is unknown. What is the purpose of the study? This study aimed to determine the intensity of active video games by measuring the heart rate and oxygen consumption during exercise (VO2) of participants to quantify energy expenditure and obtain ventilatory thresholds. Ventilatory thresholds are markers that describe a range to help quantify the intensity of an aerobic stimulus (“cardio”). Exercise intensity that falls within this threshold is considered optimal to improve aerobic capacity. How was the study conducted? Eight people between the age of 18-50 years old with paraplegic injuries at the thoracic, lumbar or sacral levels were included in the study. The study procedure was broken down into two steps: Study participants performed a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) to determine the following parameters: ventilatory threshold, peak heart rate, and VO2 max 48 hours after the CPET, participa…

Oxygen uptake during adapted rowing versus arm cycle
type: item
creator: Jocelyn C.
date: 2022-08-15T19:12:21Z
subject: Blog
description: Lay summary and illustrations by Xueqing Zhou This is the lay summary written on the paper “Acute physiological comparison of sub-maximal exercise on a novel adapted rowing machine and arm crank ergometry in people with a spinal cord injury” Sawatzky, Read More...
encoded: Lay summary and illustrations by Xueqing Zhou This is the lay summary written on the paper “Acute physiological comparison of sub-maximal exercise on a novel adapted rowing machine and arm crank ergometry in people with a spinal cord injury” Sawatzky, B., Herrington, B., Choi, K., Mortenson, B., W., Borisoff, J., Sparrey, C., & Laskin, J. J. (2022). Read the original article here. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-51487" data-attachment-id="51487" data-permalink="https://icord.org/2022/08/oxygenuptake/02_adptrow_01/" data-orig-file="https://icord.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/02_AdptRow_01.png" data-orig-size="2360,1640" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="02_AdptRow_01" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Illustration based on Figure 1 of original research article " data-large-file="https://icord.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/02_AdptRow_01-1024x712.png" class="wp-image-51487 size-medium" src="https://icord.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/02_AdptRow_01-300x208.png" alt="" width="300" height="208" srcset="https://icord.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/02_AdptRow_01-300x208.png 300w, https://icord.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/02_AdptRow_01-1024x712.png 1024w, https://icord.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/02_AdptRow_01-768x534.png 768w, https://icord.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/02_AdptRow_01-1536x1067.png 1536w, https://icord.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/02_AdptRow_01-2048x1423.png 2048w, https://icord.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/02_AdptRow_01-266x185.png 266w, https://icord.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/02_AdptRow_01-1080x751.png 1080w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /> Illustration based on Figure 1 in original research article The goal of this study was to test and compare oxygen uptake (VO2) during exerci…

SCI exercise in hospital and community settings
type: item
creator: Jocelyn C.
date: 2022-07-21T18:07:03Z
subject: Blog
description: Lay summary by Jasleen Dhaliwal Edited by Jocelyn Chan This is a lay summary of a clinical trial protocol by ICORDian Dr. Martin Ginis. Read the original article here. The physical challenges associated with transitioning from in-hospital care to community living Read More...
encoded: Lay summary by Jasleen Dhaliwal Edited by Jocelyn Chan This is a lay summary of a clinical trial protocol by ICORDian Dr. Martin Ginis. Read the original article here. The physical challenges associated with transitioning from in-hospital care to community living can be difficult for individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). This article is a protocol paper for an ongoing clinical trial, which means the findings have not yet been published. This study is important because it will address how physical activity coaching can impact an individual with SCI’s readiness, goals, and barriers as it pertains to exercise. This is especially important because the time period following discharge from the hospital is when physical activity declines the most and at a rapid rate for individuals with SCI. Furthermore, individuals with SCI display lower levels of physical activity when compared to other populations faced with various chronic physical conditions. What is the purpose of the study? The purpose of this study is to understand how coordinated physical activity can affect the transition from in-hospital care to community living for individuals with SCI. More specifically, the purpose is to observe the effectiveness of two types of coaching on physical activity; 1) physiotherapists and 2) SCI peers during the transition from hospital care to community living. This will be done by analyzing behavioural and social predictors, such as perceived risks, self-efficacy, planning, and social support. How will the clinical trial be conducted? The study will be conducted in rehabilitation hospital and community settings in British Columbia, Canada. The physical activity coaches are physiotherapists and SCI peers. Physiotherapists and SCI peers will receive two training sessions, which include training, monitoring, and feedback. The participating individuals with SCI will complete a questionnaire prior to participating, as well as multiple times throughout the study. More specifically…

Upper-body activity in boxing and battle rope exercise
type: item
creator: Jocelyn C.
date: 2022-05-29T22:32:37Z
subject: Blog
description: Lay summary by Xueqing Zhou Edited by Jocelyn Chan This is the lay summary written on the paper “Trunk muscle activity and kinematics during boxing and battle rope exercise in people with motor-complete spinal cord injury” by Gevorg Eginyan, Alison Read More...
encoded: Lay summary by Xueqing Zhou Edited by Jocelyn Chan This is the lay summary written on the paper “Trunk muscle activity and kinematics during boxing and battle rope exercise in people with motor-complete spinal cord injury” by Gevorg Eginyan, Alison Williams, Konrad Joseph and Dr. Tania Lam. Read the original article here. The goal of this study was to describe the upper-body movement patterns during seated boxing and battling rope exercises in individuals with motor-complete spinal cord injury (SCI). Specifically, the researchers looked at trunk muscle activation patterns and upper-body kinematics (motion analysis without considering force). Trunk muscles can generally be thought of as upper-body muscles since the trunk refers to the torso, which contains the chest, abdomen, pelvis and back. Therefore, trunk muscles are very important for both breathing and movement. How was the study done? 4 people with motor-complete SCI and 4 uninjured controls participated in this study, and performed 3 boxing exercises followed by 2 battle rope exercises. The researchers used electromyography (EMG) to quantify the electrical activity of the muscles in the abdomen and along the spine. In addition, a motion capture system was used to measure joint angles and the degree of trunk curvature during the exercises. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="50512" data-permalink="https://icord.org/2022/05/trunkmuscle/png3/" data-orig-file="https://icord.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/png3.png" data-orig-size="2360,1640" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="emg" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://icord.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/png3-1024x712.png" class="size-medium wp-image-50512 alignleft" style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystem…

Autonomic nervous system in paralympic athletes following SCI
type: item
creator: Jocelyn C.
date: 2022-05-19T22:19:32Z
subject: cardiovascular
subject: physiological
subject: rehab
subject: SCI
subject: sports
subject: athletes
subject: functioning
subject: nervous system
subject: paralympics
description: Lay summary by Dante Chiesa Edited by Crystal Han and Jocelyn Chan This is a lay summary of the paper by ICORDians Matthias Walter and Dr. Andrei Krassioukov. Read the original article here. The nervous system can be subdivided into Read More...
encoded: Lay summary by Dante Chiesa Edited by Crystal Han and Jocelyn Chan This is a lay summary of the paper by ICORDians Matthias Walter and Dr. Andrei Krassioukov. Read the original article here. The nervous system can be subdivided into the central nervous system (CNS), which includes the brain and the spinal cord, and the peripheral nervous system (PNS), which includes all of the nerves that branch out from the brain and the spinal cord to the rest of the body. The peripheral nervous system can be further divided into sensory neurons, which relay sensation information to the CNS (such as temperature), and motor neurons, which relay motor commands away from the CNS (to move your hand). However, it is important to further break down the motor component of the PNS into the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system. The somatic nervous system is responsible for the voluntary control of the body via skeletal muscles. The autonomic nervous system is responsible for involuntary physiological movement and processes such as heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, and digestion. These involuntary processes are controlled in two distinct ways, first, through what we call the sympathetic component of the ANS, which stimulates the fight or flight response (ex. increases heart rate); parasympathetic, which stimulates the rest and digest response (ex. reduce heart rate and breathing). When individuals experience a spinal cord injury (SCI), it typically results in loss or impairment of sensorimotor function that presents as paralysis and reduced sensation in certain areas. However, individuals with SCI are susceptible to developing secondary complications related to the ANS. How was the study done? This study was done by investigating the various symptoms which present as a result of SCI. The study mainly focuses on physical presentations of symptoms correlated with SCI which could possibly impact the athletic capabilities of paralympic athletes. What is the purpose of …

Patient perspectives on SCI
type: item
creator: Jocelyn C.
date: 2022-05-14T17:00:24Z
subject: biology
subject: community
subject: mobility
subject: pain
subject: participation
subject: physiological
subject: rehab
subject: SCI
subject: acute SCI
subject: diagnosis
subject: patient
subject: perspective
description: Lay summary by Preshon Pillay Edited by Crystal Han This is the lay summary written on the paper by Mélissa Nadeau, Supriya Singh, Lise Belanger, Vanessa Noonan, Lynsey Hamilton, Dr. Michael Boyd, Nicolas Dea, Dr. Brian Kwon, Dr. Scott Paquette, Read More...
encoded: Lay summary by Preshon Pillay Edited by Crystal Han This is the lay summary written on the paper by Mélissa Nadeau, Supriya Singh, Lise Belanger, Vanessa Noonan, Lynsey Hamilton, Dr. Michael Boyd, Nicolas Dea, Dr. Brian Kwon, Dr. Scott Paquette, Dr. John Street, Dr. Marcel Dvorak, and Charles Fisher. Read the original article here. Individuals who have experienced a spinal cord injury (SCI) may have different severities of symptoms and outcomes. However, a shared experience amongst individuals who have experienced an SCI is receiving the news of their injury. This news is typically delivered to patients by their surgeon, and although these surgeons are well trained in evaluating and treating the spinal cord, they may lack the training in complex communication, such as delivering bad news. The purpose of this study was to understand the patient and family member perspective of receiving information on the severity and outcomes after sustaining a SCI. How was the study done? This was a qualitative study in which the research team interviewed fifteen individuals with SCI and eleven of their family members. Interviews were conducted with both the participants and family members together where possible. Each interview was recorded, and the researchers analyzed the specific words used in the interview as well as their underlying meaning. The results were grouped into major and minor findings. Demographic data was collected for the patients only, not the family members. Patients between 17-77 years of age (average of 42.6 year old), with 87% of patients being male. The interviews occurred between 1 and 2 years after the SCI was sustained. What were the results of this study? The results of this study can be divided into two major themes: Physician Demeanor (general approach and attitude towards the patient) and Delivery of Information (content, timing, and source of information). These major themes are further divided into minor themes which are explored below. Physician D…

Peer mentorships and benefits for individuals with SCI
type: item
creator: Jocelyn C.
date: 2022-05-01T17:00:24Z
subject: Blog
subject: community
subject: participation
subject: Research Studies
subject: SCI
subject: mentorship
subject: reintegration
description: Lay summary by Jasleen Dhaliwal Edited by Crystal Han This is the lay summary on the original article by iCORDians Robert Shaw, Emily Giroux, Dr. Heather Gainforth, and Dr. Kathleen Martin Ginis. Read the original article here. Why is this Read More...
encoded: Lay summary by Jasleen Dhaliwal Edited by Crystal Han This is the lay summary on the original article by iCORDians Robert Shaw, Emily Giroux, Dr. Heather Gainforth, and Dr. Kathleen Martin Ginis. Read the original article here. Why is this study important? Individuals with SCI who are transitioning from a hospital setting to community living can face challenging circumstances, such as feeling overwhelmed and learning how to cope, all while dealing with physical impairment. The process as a whole can be overwhelming and complex. The implementation of peer mentorship can facilitate a smooth transition. Peer mentorship programs pair a mentor with a mentee based on their similarities and interests. Overall, the authors of this study believe that the process of peer mentorship can help individuals with SCI in overcoming and coping with certain challenges associated with SCI, such as reintegrating back into society. What is the purpose of the study? The purpose of this study was to understand how the relationship between a mentor and a mentee differ between telephone call and video conference interactions. The results of this study allowed the authors to deduce the optimal conditions to best form strong mentor and mentee relationships. How was the study conducted? Mentors and mentees either met with each other over video chat or had a telephone conversation. Individuals with SCI were the mentees, whereas others were mentors. Volunteer mentors were recruited from a non profit organization, SCI British Columbia (SCI BC). This organization provides peer mentoring services for individuals with SCI. What do these findings mean for people with SCI? There are two major findings of this paper: Removal of barriers for individuals with SCI: The relationships formed between mentors and mentees did not differ based on mode of contact. These findings mean that individuals with SCI are able to access the necessary help to overcome certain challenges in a remote setting. Moreover, a sup…