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REPETITIVE PERIPHERAL SOMATOSENSORY STIMULATION IMPROVES TRANSVERSE MYELITIS

Frederick R. Carrick1*, David J. Traster1*, Brian Sass1*, Chriss Sass1*, Elias Druckman2*, Andrew Funk2* and Jean Carlos Acevedo2*
  • 1 Carrick Institute, United States
  • 2 Life University, United States

Background: A 57 year old female presents with the chief complaint of numbness, lack of motor control and loss of sensation bilaterally from the mid-trunk down to the feet. The symptoms started with a sudden overnight onset with no known cause or injury reported by patient. She had been wheelchair-bound since the onset of the anesthesia. Methods: After an in-depth neurological examination, the patient demonstrated a right hypertropia with a left head tilt. Onychomycosis was present bilaterally at the toes, more so on the right than on the left side. The patient demonstrated brisk reflexes bilaterally and a bilateral Babinski response with excessive withdrawal. Sensory testing revealed intact sensation above the level of the umbilicus, but the patient revealed bilateral anesthesia below the level of the umbilicus. Videonystagmography (VNG) analysis revealed a right-beating nystagmus with fixation removed in the dark. The patient also revealed a consistent right corectasia throughout the VNG analysis. Optokinetic nystagmus was poor in both the horizontal and vertical directions. A treatment plan involving repetitive stimulation using a repetitive peripheral somatosensory stimulation starting at level of T9 and applying inferiorly to the sacral plexus, as well as low-level laser at the dermatomal level of T9 paraspinally was applied. Results: After five days of rehabilitation the patient reported sensory gain on the trunk and lower extremities and regained normal visual optokinetic nystagmus responses. Conclusion: The authors suggest further investigation into comprehensive, multimodal forms of neurorehabilitation in the management of transverse myelitis.

Keywords: Transverse myelitis, Neurorehabilitation, Physical rehabilitation, Electric Stimulation, transverse myelitis rehabilitation

Conference: International Symposium on Clinical Neuroscience: TBI and Neurodegeneration, Orlando, Florida, United States, 10 Dec - 14 Dec, 2015.

Presentation Type: Poster Presentation

Topic: Case Reports for Poster Presentation

Citation: Carrick FR, Traster DJ, Sass B, Sass C, Druckman E, Funk A and Acevedo J (2015). REPETITIVE PERIPHERAL SOMATOSENSORY STIMULATION IMPROVES TRANSVERSE MYELITIS. Front. Neurol. Conference Abstract: International Symposium on Clinical Neuroscience: TBI and Neurodegeneration. doi: 10.3389/conf.fneur.2015.58.00112

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Received: 02 Sep 2015; Published Online: 02 Nov 2015.

* Correspondence:
Prof. Frederick R Carrick, Carrick Institute, Cape Canaveral, United States, drfrcarrick@post.harvard.edu
Dr. David J Traster, Carrick Institute, Cape Canaveral, United States, dtraster3@gmail.com
Dr. Brian Sass, Carrick Institute, Cape Canaveral, United States, sassbria@gmail.com
Dr. Chriss Sass, Carrick Institute, Cape Canaveral, United States, sasschr1@gmail.com
Mr. Elias Druckman, Life University, Marietta, United States, Drdruckman@gmail.com
Dr. Andrew Funk, Life University, Marietta, United States, funkaj1981@yahoo.com
Mr. Jean Carlos Acevedo, Life University, Marietta, United States, jeanacevedo@gmail.com