Browse the latest research summaries in the field of veterinary medicine for spinal cord injury patients and caregivers.
Showing 61-70 of 90 results
PLoS ONE, 2016 • January 28, 2016
The study used a porcine model to test the effects of thoracolumbar fascia injury and movement restriction on fascia thickness and mobility. Injury alone increased fascia thickness and decreased shear...
KEY FINDING: Injury alone caused an increase in fascia thickness and a decrease in shear strain on the non-injured side.
Vet J, 2016 • March 1, 2016
The study evaluated the feasibility of using a von Frey anesthesiometer (VFA) to measure sensory threshold (ST) in dogs with spinal cord injury (SCI). Results showed that pelvic limb ST values were si...
KEY FINDING: Pelvic limb ST values were significantly higher in SCI-affected dogs compared to normal dogs at days 3, 10, and 30 after surgery, indicating hypoalgesia.
Vet J, 2016 • April 1, 2016
This study evaluated a simplified 'finger painting' method of walking track analysis to compare footprint parameters between normal dogs and dogs with acute thoracolumbar SCI caused by IVDE. The study...
KEY FINDING: Mean stride length (SL) was significantly shorter in all four limbs of SCI-affected dogs at days 3, 10, and 30 compared to normal dogs.
Animals, 2016 • February 16, 2016
This paper examines risk calculation methods in eventing. It argues the jump itself is the primary locus of risk. Future research should focus on falls at jumps.
KEY FINDING: The primary locus of risk for riders and horses is the jump itself, and the action of the horse jumping.
JOURNAL OF NEUROTRAUMA, 2017 • June 15, 2017
The review emphasizes the challenges in translating SCI therapies from laboratory models to human clinical trials and proposes the use of pet dogs with naturally occurring SCI as a more relevant trans...
KEY FINDING: The review identifies strengths of the canine SCI model, including the ability to study naturally occurring injuries in a heterogeneous population, mirroring the complexity of human SCI.
J Vet Intern Med, 2017 • March 1, 2017
This retrospective study evaluated the acquisition of spinal walking (SW) in 81 paraplegic dogs with thoracolumbar (TL) spinal cord lesions undergoing intensive physical rehabilitation. The study foun...
KEY FINDING: 59% of dogs with irreversible thoracolumbar lesions acquired autonomous spinal walking after intensive physical therapy.
Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 2018 • January 31, 2018
This study compared basic versus intensive postoperative rehabilitation protocols in dogs with incomplete SCI due to TL-IVDH. The intensive rehabilitation protocol was safe and well-tolerated. No sign...
KEY FINDING: Early postoperative rehabilitation after surgery for TL-IVDH is safe in dogs.
CNS Neurosci Ther, 2019 • January 1, 2019
This study aimed to investigate the degeneration of white matter and gray matter and pathological mechanism in canine after SCI. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was performed on canine models with norm...
KEY FINDING: Fractional anisotropy (FA) values significantly decreased in the lesion epicenter and caudal segments after SCI, indicating disruption of fiber bundle integrity.
Acta Vet Scand, 2018 • September 10, 2018
The Finnish Neurological Function (FINFUN) testing battery was developed to provide an objective measure of motor function in dogs, particularly those recovering from spinal cord injury. The FINFUN co...
KEY FINDING: The FINFUN testing battery demonstrated excellent internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alpha values above 0.922.
PLoS ONE, 2014 • May 1, 2014
The study evaluated the effectiveness of GM6001, a metalloproteinase inhibitor, in dogs with naturally occurring spinal cord injuries. The drug's safety and how it moves through the body were tested. ...
KEY FINDING: GM6001 reduced serum protease activity in spinal cord injured dogs compared to the other two groups.