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A standing step transfer is a technique to move from one surface to another. To do this transfer, you need some leg strength and good balance. You can use a walker or cane to help with the standing part of this transfer. Practice this transfer with your therapist before trying it alone. Your therapist can also help teach an assistant the safest way to help you.

After a spinal cord injury, the muscles that help you breathe and cough can be weak. Breath stacking improves breathing and coughing by helping remove mucous from your lungs. Getting mucous out of your lungs helps prevent lung collapse and infections like pneumonia. Having a healthy lung volume improves oxygen, helps you speak louder, and reduces breathing problems.

Preparing meals after spinal cord injury is simple enough with some planning. An important part of a healthy diet is preparing your own food. By eating at home you can control portion sizes and reduce fat, salt, and sugar intake. Using the right tools and devices can help make it safer and easier for you to prepare meals. Remember that changes in your sensation and strength may put you at risk for burns and cuts.

Sometimes pain does not go away with medications or other treatments. Pain that lasts many weeks or months is called long-term or chronic pain. After a spinal cord injury, this kind of pain is often caused by damage to your nerves or spinal cord. When your spinal cord does not heal very well, this pain can last for months or even years. This handout will teach some helpful tips for coping with chronic pain.

Postural hypotension is a quick drop in blood pressure that happens when you sit up or stand up. This can be a drop in your systolic blood pressure by 20 mmHg (top number) or your diastolic blood pressure by 10 mmHg (bottom number). It can make you feel dizzy or lightheaded. The feeling is often mild and goes away after a few seconds or minutes. Sometimes, the drop in blood pressure can be more severe and even cause people to faint.

When using a wheelchair, going up and down stairs can be challenging. While some people can go up one or two stairs alone, going up many stairs is best done with help. In most cases, you will need at least two assistants to help you up and down stairs. Practice stairs with your therapist before trying it with assistants. Always make sure your assistants are able and strong enough to help you.

A condom catheter is a urine drainage system for men. It is made of a condom attached to a drainage bag. You can use a condom catheter to prevent bladder accidents or to help with draining your bladder.

This is a handout to learn about how some prescription and over the counter medicines can interfere with your ability to drive safely.

Almost every wheelchair user will fall from their chair at some point. Getting back on your chair is one of the most difficult transfers. With practice, you can do it alone or with the help of an assistant. Always practice transfers with a therapist before trying them alone.

After a spinal cord injury, climbing stairs can be difficult. Practicing a good technique can help you learn to get up stairs alone or with help. Always practice using stairs with your therapist before trying it alone.

After a spinal cord injury, many people need to make their home more accessible. If you have stairs outside of your house, you might need to use ramps to help you get in. There are both temporary and permanent solutions. Portable ramp options are also available.

After a spinal cord injury, you may have weakness or loss of movement in your hands and fingers. This can make it hard to eat and drink without help. There are devices that can help you eat and drink with little or no assistance. If you have poor feeling, be cautious with hot foods and drinks to avoid burns.

Nerve pain is caused by damage to the nervous system including your spinal cord. Damaged nerves send faulty messages to the brain. The brain interprets these messages as pain or discomfort. Nerve pain can happen in areas where you have no other feeling. It can start happening weeks or months after a spinal cord injury.

After a spinal cord injury, daily activities like dressing can be challenging. Certain tricks can help you do more by yourself. Some clothes are easy to put on while others are more difficult. Using adapted devices or adapting your current clothing can help. Also, using the right techniques and positions can make it much easier for you to dress.

This is a handout to explain that a facet join injection can be used to help diagnose the cause and location of pain or to treat pain related to facet joint dysfunction. Facet joint injections can be performed in the neck (cervical), upper back (thoracic), or lower back (lumbar). The exact location at which the procedure is performed at depends on where your pain is coming from. It involves the administration of a local anesthetic (when done as a diagnostic procedure) or a mixture of local anesthetic and an anti-inflammatory medication known as a steroid (when done for treatment purposes).

Autonomic dysreflexia (AD) is a dangerous rise in blood pressure that can happen after spinal cord injury. It affects people who have a spinal injury at level T6 or above. AD happens when you have pain or discomfort in the areas of your body that have no feeling. The most common cause of AD is a full bowel or bladder. When you have AD, you have other signs and symptoms at the same time. If you have these symptoms, you need to fix the problem right away. AD is a medical emergency. If not treated, it can cause stroke, heart attack, seizure, and death.