Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation
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Arch Phys Med Rehabil · Feb 1997
Comparative StudyFirearm versus motor vehicle related spinal cord injury: preinjury factors, injury characteristics, and initial outcome comparisons among ethnically diverse groups.
To determine the extent to which individuals with spinal cord injuries caused by firearms differed from those caused by motor vehicle crash (MVC) in terms of selected preinjury factors, injury characteristics and related treatment, and outcomes at discharge from rehabilitation; and to determine the effect of ethnicity on preinjury factors and outcome. ⋯ Although preinjury factors are associated with ethnicity and minorities have higher proportions of SCI caused by firearms, these factors do not significantly influence rehabilitation outcomes at discharge. The primary factors influencing rehabilitation outcomes are related to the deficits, associated physical injuries, and related treatments common to the causes of the injury.
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Arch Phys Med Rehabil · Jan 1997
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialCombined neuromuscular electrical stimulation and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for treatment of chronic back pain: a double-blind, repeated measures comparison.
A preliminary examination of NMES and combined NMES/TENS for the management of chronic back pain. ⋯ Combined NMES/TENS treatment consistently produced greater pain reduction and pain relief than placebo, TENS, or NMES. NMES alone, although less effective, did produce as much pain relief as TENS. Although preliminary, this pattern of results suggests that combined NMES/TENS may be a valuable adjunct in the management of chronic back pain. Further research investigating the effectiveness of both NMES and combined NMES/TENS seems warranted.
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Arch Phys Med Rehabil · Jan 1997
Ambulatory capacity in spinal cord injury: significance of somatosensory evoked potentials and ASIA protocol in predicting outcome.
Prediction of outcome of ambulatory capacity in patients with acute spinal cord injury (SCI) by the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) protocol and somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEP). ⋯ ASIA scores and SSEP are related to the outcome of ambulatory capacity in patients with acute spinal cord injury; in noncomprehensive or uncooperative patients the SSEP are of supplemental value to the clinical examination. Therefore, the combination of clinical and electrophysiological examinations can be of additional diagnostic value in the assessment of acute spinal cord injury.
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To investigate the main coupling mechanisms involved in stimulus artifact contamination of evoked potential recordings and to suggest techniques that minimize this interference. ⋯ Three major factors that contribute to stimulus artifact contamination of the evoked potential waveform can be identified and minimized by relatively simple clinical techniques.
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Evaluate by electrophysiologic methods the cause of arm weakness and numbness in an agitated patient who struggled against a vest restraint garment. ⋯ Compressive nerve lesions in the axilla should be recognized as a potential complication of vest restraint, especially in combative patients.