Drs. Emily Fox, PT, DPT, PhD, NCS, and Kate Cavka, PT, DPT, NCS, were recently featured on the Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy’s Discussions in Spinal Cord Injury (DiSCIS) podcast. Dr. Fox is the director of neuromuscular research at the Brooks Clinical Research Center, a research scientist of the Brooks/UF-PHHP Research Collaboration, and a research associate professor in the Department of Physical Therapy. Dr. Cavka is a clinician-scientist at the Brooks Clinical Research Center. The work presented by Drs. Fox and Cavka represent the Brooks/UF-PHHP Research Collaboration and the impact of clinical-academic partnership.
The podcast, which is a production of the Spinal Cord Injury Special Interest Group (SCI SIG) of the Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy, a component of the American Physical Therapy Association, presents listeners with compelling interviews with researchers and clinical leaders in spinal cord injury rehabilitation.
In this episode, Drs. Fox and Cavka discussed their manuscript, ‘Diaphragm Pacing and a Model for Respiratory Rehabilitation after Spinal Cord Injury,’ which was co-authored by Geneva Tonuzi, MD, medical director of the Spinal Cord Injury Program at Brooks, and David Fuller, PhD, program director of the UF Rehabilitation Science PhD Program. Their work, featured in the Journal of Neurologic Physical Therapy, focuses on the importance of respiratory rehabilitation for individuals with SCI, and particularly individuals who use diaphragm stimulation, also known as pacing, to support their breathing. Respiratory impairment is a leading cause of illness after SCI. The Model of Respiratory Rehabilitation and Recovery, put forth by Drs. Fox and Cavka, emphasizes the need for rehabilitation to focus on life-long respiratory health and the use of strategies, such as diaphragm stimulation, to promote respiratory recovery.
Listen to the full podcast here: https://www.neuropt.org/special-interest-groups/spinal-cord-injury/podcasts