With the contribution from more than one hundred CNS neurotrauma experts, this book provides a comprehensive and up-to-date account on the latest developments in the area of neurotrauma including biomarker studies, experimental models, diagnostic methods, and neurotherapeutic intervention strategies in brain injury research. It discusses neurotrauma mechanisms, biomarker discovery, and neurocognitive and neurobehavioral deficits. Also included are medical interventions and recent neurotherapeutics used in the area of brain injury that have been translated to the area of rehabilitation research. In addition, a section is devoted to models of milder CNS injury, including sports injuries.

Spasticity: Diagnosis and Management is the first book solely dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of spasticity. This pioneering work defines spasticity in the broad context of Upper Motor Neuron Syndrome and focuses not on a single component, but on the entire constellation of conditions that make up the UMNS and often lead to ......

This is a thorough, practical reference and guide for all health professionals involved in the management of spasticity.

Some people suffer from chronic, debilitating disorders for which no conventional treatment brings relief. Can marijuana ease their symptoms? Would it be breaking the law to turn to marijuana as a medication? There are few sources of objective, scientifically sound advice for people in this situation. Most books about marijuana and medicine attempt to promote the views of advocates or opponents. To fill the gap between these extremes, authors Alison Mack and Janet Joy have extracted critical findings from a recent Institute of Medicine study on this important issue, interpreting them for a general audience. Marijuana As Medicine? provides patientsâ€"as well as the people who care for themâ€"with a foundation for making decisions about their own health care. This empowering volume examines several key points, including: Whether marijuana can relieve a variety of symptoms, including pain, muscle spasticity, nausea, and appetite loss. The dangers of smoking marijuana, as well as the effects of its active chemical components on the immune system and on psychological health. The potential use of marijuana-based medications on symptoms of AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and several other specific disorders, in comparison with existing treatments. Marijuana As Medicine? introduces readers to the active compounds in marijuana. These include the principal ingredient in Marinol, a legal medication. The authors also discuss the prospects for developing other drugs derived from marijuana's active ingredients. In addition to providing an up-to-date review of the science behind the medical marijuana debate, Mack and Joy also answer common questions about the legal status of marijuana, explaining the conflict between state and federal law regarding its medical use. Intended primarily as an aid to patients and caregivers, this book objectively presents critical information so that it can be used to make responsible health care decisions. Marijuana As Medicine? will also be a valuable resource for policymakers, health care providers, patient counselors, medical faculty and studentsâ€"in short, anyone who wants to learn more about this important issue.

Historical photograph of spinal anaesthesia In 1884 the American neurologist J. L. eases. His discovery, however, marks the Corning, by blocking the neural con onset of the era of regional anaesthesia. It took almost one hundred years until his duction to the hind extremities of a dog by injecting cocaine-solution into the lumbar original idea of "local medication of the vertebral interspace, was the first to per cord" was again reconsidered due to two form spinal (or epidural?) anaesthesia [1]. reasons: At that time, he was unaware of the local I. The discovery of different drug receptors anaesthetic properties of cocaine (dis in the spinal cord made it possible, by in covered in the same year by C. Koller, who trathecal injection (or epidural appli cation, if the drug penetrates the dura), applied cocaine to the eye of one of his pa tients [3]) and did not intend to introduce to alter nociceptive or motor transmis an anaesthetic procedure. Corning's pri sion within the spinal cord. mary aim was the application of drugs in 2. Implantable devices for long-term appli proximity of the central nervous system, i. e. cation of drugs to specific sites of the spinal cord, in order to treat or even heal body, including the spinal spaces, were developed during the 1970's.

David A. Gelber, MD, and Douglas R. Jeffery, MD, have assembled a much-needed collection of authoritative review articles discussing the pathophysiology of chronic neurologic spasticity and detailing its often complex medical and surgical management. Written by leading experts in neurology and rehabilitation, the book covers physical and occupational therapy, splinting and orthotics, electrical stimulation, orthopedic interventions, nerve blocks, the use of botulinum toxin, and novel treatments such as tizanidine, intrathecal medications, and neurosurgical techniques. The contributors also review coordinated approaches to the treatment of spasticity and specific neurological diseases such as spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, stroke, cerebral palsy, and traumatic brain injury.

"This compilation focuses on spasticity, a condition which results in an abnormal increase in muscle tone caused by injury of nerve pathways within the brain responsible for muscle movement control. The authors assess the effectiveness of extracorporeal shock wave therapy, a promising new non- invasive method, in the reduction of muscle spasticity. Selective dorsal rhizotomy, a successful neurosurgical technique for spasticity treatment, is subsequently described. In the postoperative phase, rehabilitation plays an essential role, supplemented by possible corrective orthopedic interventions. In general, physical therapy methods and rehabilitation techniques constitute suitable non-pharmacological options for spasticity, and they are primary care treatments used in early treatment. The closing study analyzes the effectiveness of upper limb orthosis for the treatment of spasticity, range of motion and functionality issues of persons with cerebral palsy and acquired brain damage"--