Upper-Extremity Surgical Options for People with Spinal Cord Injury

Tendon transfer procedures have been done for decades and applied in spinal cord injury (SCI) since the 1950s – though Shepherd Center is one of only a handful of facilities that offer the procedure for people with SCI. In the past several decades, techniques and protocols have been greatly improved through research. In fact, Shepherd Center's Upper Extremity Clinic has conducted some of this research and presented it at international meetings and published it in journals and books.Upper-extremity surgical procedures can improve the quality of life in people with spinal cord injury - specifically tetraplegia..Among the options are tendon transfer surgery, which can restore function in hands, wrists and arms for people with tetraplegia.Allan Peljovich, M.D.,MPH, is here to discuss upper-extremity surgical procedures.