Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33339474›Full record

ReviewJournal of neurotrauma2021

Characterizing Natural Recovery after Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury.

Steven Kirshblum, Brittany Snider, Fatma Eren, James Guest

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Journal of neurotrauma, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 169 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
169citing papers in PubMed, 9 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

169 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  4. Duraplasty in acute spinal cord injury: a systematic review.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2025
    Pooled it
  5. Guideline
  6. Exercise therapy can effectively improve trunk performance and sitting balance in spinal cord injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2025
    Pooled it
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  17. A multi-analyte blood test for acute spinal cord injury.The Journal of clinical investigation · 2025
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109 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Steven KirshblumKessler Institute for Rehabilitation, West Orange, New Jersy, USA.
Brittany SniderDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
Fatma ErenDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey, USA.
James GuestNeurological Surgery, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The predominant tool used to predict outcomes after traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) is the International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI), in association with the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale (AIS). These measures have evolved based on analyses of large amounts of longitudinal neurological recovery data published in numerous separate studies. This article reviews and synthesizes published data on neurological recovery from multiple sources, only utilizing data in which the sacral sparing definition was applied for determination of completeness. Conversion from a complete to incomplete injury is more common in tetraplegia than paraplegia. The majority of AIS conversion and motor recovery occurs within the first 6-9 months, with the most rapid rate of motor recovery occurring in the first three months after injury. Motor score changes, as well as recovery of motor levels, are described with the initial strength of muscles as well as the levels of the motor zone of partial preservation influencing the prognosis. Total motor recovery is greater for patients with initial AIS B than AIS A, and greater after initial AIS C than with motor complete injuries. Older age has a negative impact on neurological and functional recovery after SCI; however, the specific age (whether >50 or >65 years) and underlying reasons for this impact are unclear. Penetrating injury is more likely to lead to a classification of a neurological complete injury compared with blunt trauma and reduces the likelihood of AIS conversion at one year. There are insufficient data to support gender having a major effect on neurological recovery after SCI.

Indexed as

Trauma Severity IndicesAge FactorsDisability EvaluationEmergency Medical ServicesHumansMuscle StrengthPrognosisRecovery of FunctionSpinal Cord Injuriesneurological outcomepredicting outcomeprognosisspinal cord injuryspontaneous recovery

Identifiers

PMID33339474
PMCPMC8080912

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.