Spinal Cord Injury

The Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Program at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center is recognized for innovative and advanced contributions in managing patients with spinal cord injuries. For more than 25 years it has consistently earned the distinction of being the only Regional Spinal Cord Injury Care System of Southern California as designated by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDDR). Resources available through this system and other grant-funded research provide the opportunity to serve as an innovative center for the delivery, demonstration, and evaluation of comprehensive medical, vocational and other rehabilitation services to meet the wide range of needs of individuals with spinal cord injuries.

Aspiring and experienced athletes at the 2005 Spinal Injury Games

The comprehensive interdisciplinary team is led by a physician specializing in rehabilitation and is comprised of a registered nurse, case manager, occupational and physical therapist, speech pathologist, social worker, psychologist, recreation therapist, and dietician. Specialists in cardiology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, infectious disease, neurology, orthopedic surgery, pediatrics, plastic surgery and pulmonary medicine actively participate in patient care, to meet the many specialty needs of spinal injury patients.

Patient rooms are equipped with environmental control units which allow independent use and control of the lights, television, telephone, bed control and nurse call device.

The following programs are offered to address the specialty needs of patients:

Program for patients with high tetraplegia and patients requiring mechanical ventilation
Pediatrics program
Dual diagnosis program for patients with both traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury
Urological care
Sexual dysfunction
Pressure sore program for patients requiring surgical closure of decubiti
Hand and spine surgery
"Starting Out" lecture series for patient and family education

The philosophy of Rancho Los Amigos recognizes the necessity of family participation in the rehabilitation process. Family involvement in therapy sessions, family conferences, home visits, and reading materials are all crucial to the patient’s rehabilitation program. Programs are individualized and tailored to address the specific goals and needs of each patient. After completing the in-patient rehabilitation program, patients receive medical follow-up and ongoing outpatient therapy services in our Outpatient Comarr Spinal Injury Clinic. Spinal Cord Injury outpatient clinic services are summarized in the following table:

Outpatient SCI Care Summary Table
Clinics	Description of Services
SCI Primary Care Clinic	Provide coordinated primary care for SCI patient Coordinate referrals to various subspecialty clinics Provide urgent / emergent medical care Oversee the patient's rehabilitation / therapy / equipment needs
SCI 1^st Return Clinic	1^st Visit Follow-up for patients discharged from inpatient SCI program
SCI History & Physical	Annual history and physical examination of SCI patients
REHAB CLINIC	Evaluate community referrals for SCI Consultation for musculoskeletal issues Management of spasticity, orthotics Functional evaluation for SCI patients Evaluate patients for appropriateness for therapy services
SCI Internal Medicine	Follow up SCI patients with multiple medical problems Provide internal medicine / cardiology consultation to the SCI primary care clinic
Orthopedic Rehab Clinic	Evaluate patients for orthopedic interventions to improve function Specialized hand surgeries to improve function
Surgical Spine Clinic	Evaluate patients for unstable spine, possible hardware removal and other surgical spine issues
Urology	Evaluate and treat neurogenic bladder Urological surgery Perform urodynamic tests, cystogram Annual urological evaluation for SCI
Pressure Ulcer Management	Surgical and Medical management of Pressure ulcers / wounds
Pulmonary	Routine periodic evaluation vent dependent SCI patients Consultation for pulmonary issues
Spasticity Procedure Clinic	Motor Blocks, Botox injections for spasticity
Women with Disabilities Health Clinic	Annual PAP smears, gynecological consultation