• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.189-197
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• 2011

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to identify levels of hope, self-esteem, and quality of life, and to find correlations among these variables in people with spinal cord injury. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional descriptive survey. The data were collected by survey interview in 2010 from 120 people with spinal cord injury living in the community. To measure hope, self-esteem and quality of life, the Dispositional Hope Scale, Self-Esteem Scale, and World Health Organization's Quality of Life Instrument were utilized respectively. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation and stepwise multiple regression analysis using SPSS version 12.0. Results: Mean score of hope was 2.56 and that of self-esteem was 3.23. Mean score of quality of life was 3.01. Statistically significant relationships were found between quality of life and hope (r=.73, p<.001), and between quality of life and self-esteem (r=.67, p<.001). Multiple regression analyses showed that hope and self-esteem were statistically significant in predicting quality of life with the explanatory power of 59.1%. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that nursing interventions fostering hope and self-esteem should be integrated in developing rehabilitation programs to improve quality of life for people with spinal cord injury.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.31-38
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• 2009

Purpose: This study was examined the effect of training using a Virtual Reality System on the sitting balance and Activities of Daily Living for patients with a spinal cord injury. Methods: The subjects were divided into an experimental (6 persons) and control group (5 persons). The experimental group trained the 5 programs, three times per week for 6 weeks using the Virtual Reality System and five days for week using conventional physical therapy. The control group trained five days for a week using conventional physical therapy. Results: The difference in the mean Spinal Cord Independence Measurement (SCIM) score in the experimental and control groups was increased to 8.33 and 6.60 (p=0.79), respectively. The difference in the mean functional reaching test in experimental and control group increased to 4.21 and 1.09 (p=0.25), respectively. The difference in the mean sitting time in experimental and control group increased to 41.05 and 10.33 (p=0.66), respectively. There was a difference in the mean of all variances but these differences were not statistically significant. Conclusion: These results suggest that training using the Virtual Reality System increased the SCIM, functional reaching test and sitting time in people with a spinal cord injury.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.189-200
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• 2016

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to report the clinical effect of Korean medical treatment on spinal cord infarction. Methods : We treated a patient who was diagnosed with spinal cord infarction. We used acupuncture, bee venom pharmacopuncture, herbal medicine, moxibustion and physical therapy. We evaluated the patient through Manual Muscle Testing (MMT) and International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI) score. Results : MMT grade improved grade from 1 to 5 and ISNCSCI score increased from 2 to 14. Conclusion : According to these results, this report suggests that Korean medical treatment could be effective for spinal cord infarction.

• Proceedings of the Korea Contents Association Conference
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• 2012.05a
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• pp.173-174
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• 2012

To determine whether position affects measured lung capacity of spinal cord injury patients. The study subjects were 45 patients with spinal cord injury (cervical level 15, thoracic level 15, lumbar level 15). Subjects were provided with a full explanation of the experimental procedures and all provided written consent signifying their voluntary participation. We used a spirometer (Spirometer, Micromedical Ltd, UK) to measure pulmonary function in the supine and sitting positions (straightened upper body at an angle of $90^{\circ}$). Forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume during the first second (FEV1), tidal volume (TV), and maximum insufflation capacity (MIC) were also measured. FVC, FEV1, TV, MIC (%) were greater in the supine than in the sitting position for those with injury at the cervical or thoracic injury level. On the other hand, FVC, FEV1, TV, MIC (%) were lower in the supine position for those with an injury at the lumbar level. More attention should be paid to the effect of injury level on measured lung capacity.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.15-21
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• 2004

Vitamin $D_3$ up-regulated protein 1 (VDUP1) gene is known to be a novel member of early response genes as an oxidative stress mediator. To elucidate role of VDUP1 expression in neuronal injury, VDUP1 gene expression and histological change were tested in the spinal cords after traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) in young and adult rats. VDUP1 transcript was detected weakly in a few cells in the spinal cords of control young and adult rats. VDUP1 transcript was increased in the contused spinal cords 1 day after SCI in both young and adult rats. VDUP1 transcript was decreased in the spinal cords 7 days after SCI in young rats. However, VDUP1 transcript was not decrease significantly 7 days in the spinal cords after SCI in adult rats. Cell damage in the spinal cords and hind limb dysfunction were more prominent 7 days after SCI in adult rats compared with that in young rats. These data show that VDUP1 may be involved in neurodegeneration after traumatic SCI.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.182-193
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• 1998

Background: Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), identified as a survival factor for developing peripheral neurons is upregulated by reactive astrocytes in the traumatized tissue and in areas of terminal degeneration after a brain lesion. But in the spinal cord, CNTF is expressed in the non-astrocytic phenotypic, maybe oligodendrocytes. The present study was undertaken to determine the upregulation of CNTF expression in reactive astrocytes following spinal cord lesion in the rat. Methods: Unilateral incision of the dorsal funiculus at the thoracic level was performed and rats were sacrificed on days 3, 7, 14 and 28 postlesion. Western blot analysis, immunocytochemical analysis and double immunofluorescence for CNTF and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) were performed after spinal cord lesion. Results: A major band with 24 kDa and additional band of higher molecular weight form were detectable, and the intensity of the 24 kDa immunoreactive band increased up to 14 days postlesion and decreased toward laminectomized control values. CNTF immunoreactivity was markedly upregulated in the injured dorsal funiculus and adjacent gray matter. The time course of CNTF expression is coincident with the appearance of reactive astrocytes in the injured spinal cord. Moreover, double immunofluorescence for CNTF and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) revealed that CNTF immunoreactivity was in GFAP immunoreactive astrocytes. Conclusions: These results show that CNTF upregulation occurred in reactive astrocytes following spinal cord lesion, and suggest a role for CNTF in the regulation of astrocytic responses after spinal cord injury.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.71-84
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• 2003

The purpose of this study was to provide information on driving characteristics in persons with spinal cord injury through basic statistic analysis of the survey results. The survey was administered to 44 drivers with spinal cord injury. The subjects' general, neurologic and driving characteristics were analyzed, as well as the degree of difficulty in using their vehicles between tetraplegia and paraplegia. The results were as follows: thirty-five (79.6%) of forty-four respondents was men. The average age was 35.0 years old and the age at the time of injury was 29.0 years old. Their neurologic characteristics were tetraplegics 12 (27.3%) and paraplegics 32 (72.2%). Among complete lesions, the highest level those who could drive independently was C7. All the vehicles were equipped with special devices, including "power steering", "automatic transmission" and "hand controls". The vehicles for cervical cord injury were equipped with "grip bars" as well as for the degree of difficulty in using their vehicles, all the subjects felt that "moving the wheelchair in and out of their vehicles" was too difficult for them to do. We suggest that the driver training should be an essential part of the rehabilitation program for patients with spinal cord injuries to maximize their mobility in the community. This training seems to be essential in order to modify the standards of the Handicapped Drivers Ability Test and to aid the driver rehabilitation program in the health insurance payment system. Also, the driver rehabilitation training program should include instruction in that moving wheelchairs in and out of vehicles.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.70-74
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• 2013

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the impact of the application of whole body vibration training (WBV) on the balance ability of patients with an American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) type C or D spinal cord injury. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Methods: Twelve patients with spinal cord injury were enrolled in this study. The participants were randomized to an experimental group (n=6) or control group (n=6). The subjects in the experimental group received WBV exercise and the control group received the sham exercise without vibration. The vibrations were adjusted vertically to the patient at a 30 Hz frequency and 3 mm amplitude. The whole body vibration lasted for 16 minutes in total including 5-minutes warm-up and cool-down at the beginning and end of the program, respectively. The static sitting balance ability was assessed by measuring the postural sway while sitting on the force plate with the eyes opened or closed. Postural sway length was measured for 30 seconds with a self-selected comfortable position. Results: In the static balance test, the anterio-posterior, medio-lateral, and total postural sway length with the eyes open and closed was improved significantly before and after the intervention in the experimental group (p<0.05). The experimental group showed significantly more improvement than the control group (p<0.05). Conclusions: Our results demonstrated that WBV training has a positive effect on improving static sitting balance and enhanced control of postural sway in patients with an ASIA-C or D type spinal cord injury.

• The Korean Journal of Rehabilitation Nursing
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.22-28
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• 1999

The development of standards and guidelines of rehabilitation nursing has been the major concerns for providing better nursing to the rehabilitation clients. As the patients with stroke and spinal cord injuries are the most prevalent physical disabilities in Korea, this study focussed on the nursing diagnoses of these two groups of patients. In order to identify the nursing diagnoses frequently used In their practice for the patients with stroke and spinal cord injuries, a survey was done with the questionnaire form developed by the research team. The surveyee were the staff nurses working at rehabilitation wards more than 2 years from 8 general hospitals in Korea, They identified and set the priorities of 13 nursing diagnoses from 79 stroke patients and 10 nursing diagnoses from 35 patients with spinal cord injuries during the periods from March 1 to June 2, 1999. The identified nursing diagnoses for the stroke patients are impaired physical immobility, sensory-perceptual alteration, activity intolerance, self-care deficit, altered defecation, altered urination, risk for injury, unilateral neglect, impaired skin integrity, altered thought processes, pain, altered health maintenance, dysreflexia. The identified nursing diagnoses for spinal cord injuries are altered urination, altered defecation, impaired skin integrity, pain, risk for injury, reflex incontinence, impaired physical immobility, self-care deficit, activity intolerance, knowledge deficit.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.299-306
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• 2008

Sometimes, spinal cord injury (SCI) results in various chronic neuropathic pain syndromes that occur diffusely below the level of the injury. It has been reported that behavioral signs of neuropathic pain are expressed in the animal models of contusive SCI. However, the observation period is relatively short considering the natural course of pain in human SCI patients. Therefore, this study was undertaken to examine the time course of mechanical and cold allodynia in the hindpaw after a spinal cord contusion in rats for a long period of time (30 weeks). The hindpaw withdrawal threshold to mechanical stimulation was applied to the plantar surface of the hindpaw, and the withdrawal frequency to the application of acetone was measured before and after a spinal contusion. The spinal cord contusion was produced by dropping a 10 g weight from a 6.25 and 12.5 mm height using a NYU impactor. After the injury, rats showed a decreased withdrawal threshold to von Frey stimulation, indicating the development of mechanical allodynia which persisted for 30 weeks. The withdrawal threshold between the two experimental groups was similar. The response frequencies to acetone increased after the SCI, but they were developed slowly. Cold allodynia persisted for 30 weeks in 12.5 mm group. The sham animals did not show any significant behavioral changes. These results provide behavioral evidence to indicate that the below-level pain was well developed and maintained in the contusion model for a long time, suggesting a model suitable for pain research, especially in the late stage of SCI or for long term effects of analgesic intervention.