ABOUT THE LAB
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a prominent cause of long-term disability, particularly in young adults and Veterans. It is estimated that of the ~282,000 individuals who survive with an SCI, 20% are Veterans. Further, due to the Iraq and Afghan wars, SCI now accounts for up to 33.84% of all combat casualties. In the majority of subjects with SCI, functional impairments remain exceptionally devastating. For example, most subjects with SCI have impairments that span from paralysis or sensory dysfunction. Out of all their impairments, individuals with SCI have identified return of motor function as one of their highest priorities. As a result many interventions have been developed to affect outcomes of limb function with the goal of mitigating subject disability and improving subject performance in activities of daily living (ADLs). Among such interventions, physical rehabilitation remains the most common. In general, research over the last 40 years has emphasized that increasing the use of weakened limbs through exercise can significantly improve recovery and a subject’s reported well-being.
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While rehabilitation can improve limb function, a considerable amount of time is needed to show measureable improvements (>9 months). In addition, less than 1% of individuals show substantial recovery after rehabilitation. Thus, while such exercises remain the gold standard, it is critical to understand why it takes so long to achieve notable benefits. My research lab aims to determine why there is limited efficacy of exercise, and also to design adjuncts that could boost and accelerate rehabilitative outcomes for the paretic limbs.