The Autonomic Nervous System and Autonomic Dysfunction after Spinal Cord Injury

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Presented at the SCI Forum March 22, 2023

Spinal cord injury (SCI) can result in dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, which regulates involuntary processes such as heart rate, blood pressure, and digestion. Autonomic dysfunction can profoundly impact the health and quality of life of an individual with SCI, but knowledge of this important consequence of SCI is lacking among SCI providers and patients alike. The goal of this presentation, by Shawn H. Song, MD, UW Department of Rehabilitation Medicine & VA Puget Sound, will be to provide a basic review of the autonomic nervous system and education on common issues of autonomic dysfunction including autonomic dysreflexia and orthostatic hypotension, treatment of these conditions, and new areas of research.

Links to videos referenced in the presentation:

Treatment of AD: Nitropaste
• Instructions on how to apply Nitropaste available on YouTube:    • Nitropaste Ointment Application | Nit...  

Educating Providers about AD
• Wallet AD cards can help non-SCI providers treat AD:
o Paralysis & spinal cord injury wallet cards - Reeve Foundation (https://www.christopherreeve.org/livi...)
o PVA: https://twitter.com/pva1946/status/12...

Lower Limb ACE Wrapping
• Good video with instructions:    • Lower Limb ACE Wrapping Technique for...