Archive of recordings of “NorCal SCI Presents: Virtual is the New Reality Series”

Pain Management Following A Spinal Cord Injury - From August 27, 2020, 72-minute presentation can be viewed HERE.
Pain is very common after SCI and improved treatment of pain after SCI has consistently been reported to be a top priority among people living with SCI. Pain affects quality of life, function, sleep, mood, productivity and possibly even longevity. Effective treatment of pain after SCI is therefore critically important. In her talk, Dr. Elissa Zakrasek will briefly describe different kinds of pain that people may experience after SCI and possible causes and explanations for each of these pain types. She will discuss the ways that other body systems and mood can affect the overall severity and experience of pain.

Cooking with Arash: Showcasing SCI man’s passion for cooking - From August 26, 2020, 67-minute presentation can be viewed HERE.
Don’t let his C5-6 incomplete spinal cord injury fool you. Berkeley resident, Arash Bayatmakou, loves to cook and hasn’t let his wheelchair get in the way of his passion for healthy eating mixed with some adventurous cooking strategies.In this session, Arash will show you kitchen basics, grocery essentials and tips and tricks for SCI-enabled cooking. Whether you're new to the kitchen, haven't cooked since your injury or know your stuff and simply want some tips for more efficient and healthy cooking, Arash has got you covered.

Daily Dose of Stretching - Range of Motion and Stretching for SCI - From August 22, 2020 - 66-minute presentation can be viewed HERE.
You have a spinal cord injury and you know darn well stretching is incredibly important and valuable. But why is it so difficult to develop a routine that works and makes sense for you? In this class, Rachel and Erin will discuss posture, spasticity, and how to perform a daily stretching routine for all injury levels. The session will cover how to find your proper alignment and positioning for the most optimal stretch. They will also discuss how to best protect your joints when working with spasticity and tone.

Practical Posture: understanding the shape of your spine for wheelchair users - From August 20, 2020, 60-minute presentation can be viewed HERE.
In this class, you’ll learn a bit about spinal anatomy and optimal alignments. Stephanie will also break down some of the more common postures specific to individuals with spinal cord injury - what they are and why they happen. With this understanding of the underlying cause, we can better find solutions unique to each individual: Stephanie will share a few strategies to change the position of your body to facilitate better posture and you will experience several basic exercises to improve posture. This class is part learning/lecture and part movement experience.

What is Electrical Stimulation and how can it be used effectively following a spinal cord injury? - From August 15, 2020, 57-minute presentation can be viewed HERE.
Physical Therapist Jennifer Kapetanic shares various applications of electrical stimulation for persons with SCI. In this session, she introduces the function of muscle contraction, normal and post-SCI, identify the various ways electrical stimulation may benefit those with SCI as well as highlighting the safety precautions one must take.

"Nutrition & SCI": Introduction to a healthy diet for those with a spinal cord injury - From July 29, 2020. 54-minute presentation can be viewed HERE.
Shelley introduces you to a healthy diet and what it looks like and the benefits it delivers. She addresses and break down all the fad diets as well as the unknown damage from food restrictions such as the Keto diet. If you truly care about your overall health (and weight), Shelley’s sessions should not be missed.

“Revitalizing Reset” - Mindful Movement, Meditation and Self-Release Techniques for SCI - From July 25, 2020. 65-minute presentation can be viewed HERE.
Rachel and Erin discuss how meditation and mindfulness play important roles in body awareness, addressing compensatory patterns and everyday movement. This includes tools and tips on how to increase your body awareness and how to perform simple kinds of meditation to calm and reset your nervous system and your breath.

"Pilates for Paralysis: what can ‘Pilates’ do for me?" - From July 23, 2020. 62-minute presentation can be viewed HERE.
Stephanie introduces the Pilates method and how it differs from other movement forms - yoga, meditation, weight training. Specifically, you’ll experience how the Pilates principles of control, concentration, whole-body integration (and more) create more movement, comfort and efficiency after paralyzing injury. Whether you’re a C1 or S1 level injury, you can benefit from her teachings.

Nerve Transfer for Tetraplegia Clinical Trials - From July 17, 2020. 52-minute presentation can be viewed HERE.
An ambitious clinical trial has launched at seven U.S. and Canadian university hospitals with the goal of enrolling 70 persons with C4-C8 complete spinal cord injuries, who have experienced no arm or hand function, as part of a Nerve Transfer study for those who are 3 months to 36 months post injury. NorCal SCI is proud to feature one of the neurosurgeons behind these trials who discussed the study, what it aims to achieve, why it has been limited to a certain segment of the SCI population, and other applications for this approach.

Colostomy & SCI - From July 16, 2020. 59-minute presentation can be viewed HERE.
For many individuals with a spinal cord injury, their Bowel Management program could be a nightmare scenario, whether you're newly-injured or a veteran of SCI. The unpredictability, fear of eating certain food groups, insertion of medicinal interventions, digital stimulation of the rectum and other concerns can be time consuming, inconsistent, exhaustive, stressful and embarrassing. One potential solution, a Colostomy procedure, has come a long way, yet there is a lot of misconception and mystery around it and Dr. Kazuko Shem addressed this topic and helped demystify it for those who have just about had it with their current bowel management routine.

Shoulders: your gateway to core connection - From May 14, 2020. 32-minute presentation can be viewed HERE.
Noted Pilates teacher, Stephanie Comella, blends her formal education in exercise biology and her experience in Pilates and other mindful movement modalities with neurological science to provide an intuitive, hands-on style of teaching focused on body re-connection after paralyzing injury.