Research to focus on the long road of recovery after a spinal cord injury

People who live with spinal cord injuries often say that the first year of recovery is the toughest — not only for them but their caregivers as well. But researchers and the people struggling with the recovery may actually have different interpretations of the reasons. That’s why the U.S. Department of Defense recently awarded researchers from MetroHealth Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University more than $800,000 to study the experiences and needs of veterans and civilians who have suffered spinal cord injuries.

An interdisciplinary team of researchers will interview veterans and civilians with spinal cord injuries — as well as their caregivers — during the first year of recovery as they attempt to reintegrate into the community. The three-year study will compare the experiences of 15 veterans with SCI and their caregivers with the same number of civilians and their caregivers to identify the barriers and facilitators they experience as they attempt to access treatment options.

Read more about this study HERE.