I often see chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) patients in my clinic complaining of a sudden increase in spasticity and often the cause can be multifactorial. As I’ve noted before, it is very important to exclude some of the more common causes of increased spasticity. However, one that is often...

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is frequently accompanied by joint problems, but these can often be overcome with careful management and exercise. The so-called “over-use syndromes” seen in SCI are widely known. Both in paraplegia and in independently functioning tetraplegics, the upper limb becomes the remaining functioning unit, and therefore the...

How do cholesterol levels affect persons living with spinal cord injury (SCI)? The health management of individuals newly affected by SCI, along with better long-term follow-up care (particularly that of the bladder), has made a significant positive difference to their average life expectancy. This has resulted in a shift in...

Injury to the spinal cord can usher in some unexpected problems. We look at one of those – body temperature! People who have a spinal cord injury (SCI) often experience abnormal sweating, and when it happens to female patients, they often wonder whether this is a symptom of menopause. That’s...

There’s no reason why SCI women shouldn’t have healthy babies – but there are a few things to bear in mind. Are you a young woman with spinal-cord injury (SCI), perhaps already married and wanting to start a family? Then this article is for you. SCI does not prevent healthy...

“Spinal cord paralysis is not the end of life, it is the beginning of a new life” – Sir Ludwig Guttmann Every year, around the world, between 250 000 and 500 000 people suffer a spinal cord injury (SCI). The majority of spinal cord injuries are due to preventable causes...

Spinal-cord injury can negatively affect blood pressure, but there are remedies. Orthostatic hypotension (OH) is defined as a decrease in systolic blood pressure of 20 mm Hg or a decrease in diastolic blood pressure of 10 mm Hg within three minutes of standing when compared with blood pressure from the...

Urinary incontinence is a widely prevalent condition – and there’s no need to be embarrassed. Dr Donald Maasdorp gives the facts. In Western societies, between 25 and 55 percent of women suffer from urinary incontinence, defined as “the involuntary leakage of urine”. The wide range is due to the fact...

Erectile dysfunction in a man with a spinal-cord injury can be overcome. Statistics show that most of the people who suffer a traumatic spinal-cord injury (SCI) are males aged between 18 and 35 years. Naturally, the effect of the SCI on erectile function is a major concern. Although the nature...

Not for sissies, they say! Ageing is an inevitable process, but its effects can be more complex for those with a spinal-cord injury. Life comes with only one guarantee – at some stage we will reach the end of our lives. For some, tragically, life ends far too soon; others...