Spinal cord injuries are life-altering events that can affect every aspect of a person’s physical, emotional, and social well-being, and damage to the spinal cord can disrupt the body’s ability to send and receive messages between the brain and the rest of the body. In this month’s blog, we’ll explore promising research and best practices, with insight, support, and hope for individuals and families navigating this challenging journey.
Dancing molecules
Northwestern University’s School of Engineering published the results of a recent study in which they discovered that a one-time injection administered 24 hours after severe injury helped mice regain the ability to walk — just four weeks after treatment.
Regenerative nanomedicine pioneer Dr. Samuel I. Stupp is navigating the FDA approval process. The drug is being developed under the FDA’s Orphan Drug program, which is designed to encourage and support the development of treatments for rare diseases or conditions.
Amphix Bio, a company spun out from Dr. Stupp’s Northwestern laboratory, is now completing safety studies required for regulatory approval for human trials; they are hoping to begin the first trials in spinal cord injury patients in late 2026. Researchers are essentially injecting bioactive signals to trigger cells to regenerate the severed extensions of axons, diminish scar tissue, reform myelin around cells, develop functional blood vessels to deliver nutrients to cells at the injury site, and drive motor neuron survival. This is the first study in which researchers controlled the collective motion of molecules through changes in chemical structure to increase the effectiveness of this type of therapy.
This is Spine Tingling
Three people with a muscle-destroying disease that worsens with age were able to stand and walk more easily with an implanted device that zapped their spinal cord. The device, which sends electrical impulses to the spinal cord, allowed participants to walk longer distances and improve their strength and endurance.
In this study, researchers used a spine-stimulating implant already being tested for paralysis to determine how it might help recovery. Stimulating the spinal cord with low levels of electricity has long been used to treat chronic pain and is now being tested to see if it helps temporarily restore motor function after being paralyzed from strokes or spinal cord injury.
The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, looked at people with spinal muscular atrophy. The implanted device sent electrical impulses to their spinal cord and targeted the specific nerve pathways that control leg muscles. All the participants showed significant improvements in their walking, including increased distance walked in six minutes and improved gait
The patients walked with a rolling walker or other help to keep their balance. Researchers found the improvements didn’t disappear as soon as the stimulator was switched off. Patients did describe lingering effects; one said even when the stimulator was turned off, some nights his legs “would just feel supercharged.” The researchers found the changes did not go away as soon as the implant was turned off, though they did fade.
Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation Improves Outcomes After Spinal Cord Injury
In a recent Brain Science article, researchers set out to determine how a multidisciplinary team (MDT’s) approach to spinal cord rehab influences outcomes. The alternative to this approach often involves single-discipline or siloed approaches, where individuals or teams work independently within their areas of specialization. While this approach can offer benefits, it often suffers from limited perspectives, communication gaps and misalignment, isolated decision-making, inefficiency, and wasted resources.
They analyzed electronic medical records data for 42 patients. Their treatment regimen included multidisciplinary rehabilitation approaches, such as physical and occupational therapy, speech therapy, psychological support, robotic devices, advanced cognitive rehabilitation, and other interventions. Post-therapy assessments showed significant improvement in lower limb function, global cognitive functioning, and perceived quality of life at both a physical and mental level, as well as a reduction in depression.
Despite the potential benefits of rehabilitation devices, the study uncovered the fundamental importance of considering patient perceptions and adherence, which often gets overlooked; understanding the patient’s feelings about their perceptions of neurorehabilitation is pivotal, because their motivation significantly predicts long-term changes in quality of life and rehabilitation outcomes.
Spinal Cord Injuries at Trial
Spinal cord injuries are among the most devastating and life-changing events a person can experience. Whether caused by a car crash, a fall, or an act of negligence, these injuries often lead to permanent disabilities, overwhelming medical bills, and a drastically altered way of life. It’s important to understand how these cases are handled in court and why expert legal help is essential.
These cases involve multiple layers of medical, emotional, and legal complexity; the attorney must prove negligence, educate jurors on the severity of the injury; calculate damages based on medical expenses, lost wages, and reduced future earning capacity; pain and suffering; loss of enjoyment of life, home modifications, and long-term care costs.
Strong evidence will need to be presented for the jury to understand the full impact of the injury. This might include a “Day in the Life” videos showing the clients daily routines, photos or videos from the accident scene, and testimony from medical professionals, therapists, and economists. The lawyer will help their client with insurance disputes and take care of every aspect of complex trial litigation. To try the case, they will interpret complex medical records and work with top medical and financial experts to build a compelling case.
Spinal cord injury cases are not just about the law—they’re about restoring dignity, financial stability, and a sense of justice for victims and their families. With the right legal team by your side, you can focus on recovery while your attorney fights to protect your future.
Your lawyer should bring more than legal knowledge to your case; they should have a record of experience, resources, and empathy. You can find all this at the firm of Cantor, Grana, Buckner, and Bucci.
Helpful Resource: The Spinal Cord Injury Research Evidence (SCIRE) Project
ICord is a spinal cord injury research center in Canada, dedicated to providing up-to-date, accurate information about the effects of rehabilitation for people with SCI.
Their website, managed by SCIRE staff who review and rate research on spinal cord injury, is available for free online and is accessible from around the world; its reach extends to more than 2 million users from over 180 countries. The latest version has instructional videos, toolkits, treatment algorithms, and clinical practice guidelines.
The SCIRE Community website, https://community.scireproject.com/, is an online resource for people living with SCI, and their family members, friends, or caregivers. It has lots of current SCI evidence and resources written in everyday language.
The SCIRE Project, https://scireproject.com/, is designed for clinicians, researchers, and educators; the site contains up-to-date information on treatment and care of SCI, as well as the latest data and outcome measures for SCI rehabilitation, in a consolidated portal for ease of use.
