Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Cannabis Shenanigans: Advocating For The Restoration Of An Effective Treatment Of Pain Following Spinal Cord Injury., Daniel E. Graves, Phd

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Faculty Papers

Cannabis is an effective treatment for pain following spinal cord injury that should be available to patients and researchers. The major argument against the rescheduling of cannabis is that the published research is not convincing. This argument is disingenuous at best, given that the evidence has been presented and rejected at many points during the political dialog. Moreover, the original decision to criminalize cannabis did not utilize scientific or medical data. There is tension between the needs of a society to protect the vulnerable by restricting the rights of others to live well and with less pain. It is clear …

Lessons Learned Through Leadership, John L. Melvin, Md, Mmsc

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Faculty Papers

This paper identifies a number of principles I have adopted when assuming leadership roles. They evolved from experiences that suggested they would help me be more effective in these roles. I have found through using them that they are indeed helpful to me as a leader and to the organizations I lead. When comparing notes with other leaders, I find they seem to apply to others as well.

The Appropriateness Of Long-Term Opioids To Treat Chronic Back Pain, Thomas Watanabe, Michael Salino, Adam Schreiber

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Faculty Papers

Point/Counterpoint Case Scenario: A 55-year old man presents to a pain clinic upon referral from his primary care physician. His symptom is axial low back pain. His pain started approximately 1 year earlier without a specific inciting event. He denies radiation of pain into the lower extremities. There is no bowel or bladder involvement. There is no directional preference. He reports pain "all the time," with minimal specific exacerbating or relieving factors. There is no medical-legal involvement. His medical history is significant for hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, obesity, and sleep apnea. He is a divorced father of 2 adult children. He is …

The Significance Of Percutaneous Aspiration Of The Zygapophysial Facet Joint Synovial Cyst: A Case Series, S. Kamal Fetouh, Nicholas Kaffl, Linqiu Zhou

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Faculty Papers

Cysts that are clearly associated with threat of progressive neurological loss or intractable, unremitting symptoms should be released by a decompression procedure.

In our case series, percutaneous aspiration has been successfully used for 3 of 4 PTs with marked decrease in size of cyst on imaging and clinical improvement.

Obstructing pathology and ultimately the location of the cyst can be major factors in determining the success of the procedure.

Our study demonstrated that a minimally invasive aspiration of a ZP SC can often achieve clinical improvement.

This may save the PT from undergoing an invasive surgical decompression.

The Significance Of A Triple Flexion Reflex In The Acute Spinal Cord Injured Patient: A Case Report And Review Of The Literature, S. K. Fetouh, S. Kolli, R. J. Marino, N. D. Martin, A. L. Schreiber

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Faculty Papers

The TFR is a sign of upper motor neuron impairment. It does not typically appear for several days after an injury but in patients with pre-existing myelopathy, an early onset exaggerated Babinski response exhibited as a TFR may occur. It is important not to misinterpret such responses as volitional movements, particularly in patients with cognitive dysfunction where the history and physical examination may be limited. Failure to immobilize the spine and to administer adjunct steroid therapy may be detrimental to the patient. Education of initial response physicians may prevent overlooking an acute SCI.