https://www.northstarsci.org The whirlwind of care coordination, participation in therapy, and injury treatment, all while coping with a life-changing event, can create quite the challenge for recently injured individuals with SCIs and their support systems. This decision-making challenge, coupled with a recent decrease in the length of inpatient rehabilitation stays, caught the attention of researchers in...Continue Reading

by Kim Anderson, PhD On June 2nd the Northeast Ohio Regional SCI System (NORSCIS) organized a special networking event hosted in partnership with the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation and MetroHealth System. This event brought together community members, peer mentors, and partners for an evening of connection, learning, and support centered around SCI. Advancing Research...Continue Reading

The MSKTC works closely with researchers in the 18 Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Model System Centers to develop resources for people living with spinal cord injury and their supporters. They have several user-friendly resources that are grounded in evidence and available in a variety of formats such as printable PDF documents, videos, and slideshows.  A...Continue Reading

Creating A New Normal (CANN) was developed to bridge the gap between what is taught in the inpatient rehab setting and the life lessons learned post-rehab. We know doctors and therapists could never have the time to teach everything needed within the timeframe of a rehabilitation program.  With that in mind, there are three main...Continue Reading

MetroHealth is thrilled to announce the return of its annual Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Forum, an educational and empowering event designed specifically for individuals living with spinal cord injuries and related disorders. The 2026 SCI Forum will take place on Friday, September 18, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM EST. Mark your calendars and join...Continue Reading

When life shifts unexpectedly, as it does for anyone sustaining a spinal cord injury, the world suddenly looks different. Whether the cause was traumatic—a split-second accident or fall—or non-traumatic, the immediate aftermath is often defined by a daunting silence. It isn’t just that the answers are hard to find; it’s that, in the beginning, you...Continue Reading

On October 16, 2025, Kate Weaver’s life changed in an instant. She and her fiancé, Zach, were just minutes from home after finishing work and heading to pick up dinner when another driver made a right turn on red, causing a collision. In an attempt to avoid the vehicle, Zach swerved, and their car struck...Continue Reading

The Model System Knowledge and Translation Center (MSKTC) is a national center that helps facilitate the knowledge translation process to make research meaningful to those with Spinal Cord Injury, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Burn Injury. Last newsletter, we featured the Factsheet on mental health awareness.  This month, we wanted to feature a source on adaptive...Continue Reading

Shoulder pain is very common in people with spinal cord injury (SCI), particularly in those who use a manual wheelchair. The shoulders are not as sturdy as the joints in the legs, and they tend to wear down more easily. While a person who walks can rest their shoulders when they become painful, a person...Continue Reading

by Skye Carbin MetroHealth is one of the first rehabilitation clinics in Ohio to begin using a new device that delivers transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation to improve arm and hand function in people with spinal cord injury (SCI). Since March, select individuals getting outpatient occupational therapy at The MetroHealth Rehabilitation Institute (MHRI) have been using...Continue Reading