Spinal Cord Injury Treatment, Research and Injury Prevention Efforts Expanding

Congress has designated September as National Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Awareness Month. In addition to raising awareness and support for much-needed cure research and new treatments, National SCI Awareness Month aims to further educate the public about how paralyzing accidents can be prevented.

There is no cure for spinal cord injury, nor is there an FDA-approved therapeutic or device that can restore function. But researchers are working toward these goals, and more research dollars are needed to continue that work.

For now, people who sustain a spinal cord injury receive acute care in trauma hospitals and then typically undergo rehabilitation, which can help to restore some function and independence. Early, comprehensive rehabilitation – such as what Shepherd Center provides – yields the best outcomes.

In a new, 10-minute podcast on Shepherd Center Radio, physician Anna Choo Elmers, M.D., discusses spinal cord injury rehabilitation, research under way across the nation and efforts to prevent spinal cord injuries, especially those caused by distracted driving, falls and diving.

This podcast and others are available at shepherd.org/news/radio or can be downloaded as an MP3 file from the link above. A transcript of the interview is also available on the Shepherd Center Radio web page.

Dr. Elmers first worked at Shepherd Center as an Emory University resident in 2006. She officially joined as a staff physiatrist in July 2009 in the Spinal Cord and Brain Injury programs. Upon completing medical school at the George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C., she moved to Atlanta to complete her residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Emory University, where she served as chief resident in her final year. As part of her residency, she worked at Shepherd Center, Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Children’s Hospital at Scottish Rite, Emory Sports and Spine, Emory Center for Rehabilitation Medicine and Wesley Woods. Before completing medical school, Dr. Elmers received her juris doctorate from the University of San Diego School of Law, following which she practiced for a couple years in California. She is licensed to practice law in the state of California.