Rusk Insights On Rehabilitation Medicine

Dr. Koto Ishida is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neurology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She also serves as Medical Director of the Stroke Program at NYU Langone Health and Director of Clinical Affairs at the Center for Stroke and Neurovascular Diseases. She is Board-certified both in vascular neurology and neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology. Her medical degree is from the University of Rochester. She completed her residency in neurology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania where she had a fellowship in vascular neurology. Dr. Ishida has her name on 70 publications in the professional literature.     This is a special three-part series. The following topics were discussed in Part 1:  how common strokes are; distinguishing features of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke; some major causes of a stroke and if genetics and family history are among them; from the standpoint of sex and gender, if there are any differences in specific risk factors, differences

Douglas H. Smith, MD, is the Robert A. Groff Endowed Professor Neurosurgery and Director of the Center for Brain Injury and Repair at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the Scientific Director of the Big 10/Ivy League Collaboration on Concussion and also serves as a member on the Scientific Advisory Boards of the US National Football League (NFL), the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-DoD consortium on concussion, and the International Concussion Society.  This is the second part of a two-part series. In this one, he points out that: We find that when we are looking at over time the changes of profiles, it means they are appearing and disappearing. How does that look like compared to the appearance of those proteins in the blood?  We are finding an interesting correlation that is kind of a combination between how open the blood brain barrier is and how much axon pathology is. It has become possible to diagnose the 20 percent of patients who will have persistent symptoms at the time they come

Douglas H. Smith, MD, is the Robert A. Groff Endowed Professor Neurosurgery and Director of the Center for Brain Injury and Repair at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the Scientific Director of the Big 10/Ivy League Collaboration on Concussion and also serves as a member on the Scientific Advisory Boards of the US National Football League (NFL), the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-DoD consortium on concussion, and the International Concussion Society.  This is the first of a two-part series. In this one, he points out that:  An objective is to look at the biomechanics of concussion and how that selectively induces injuries to axons, and how to detect it non-invasively. Also, how does that time zero, when the injury occurs, cause neurodegeneration later on? It is weird that the definition of a concussion does not include what is going on in the brain, which is an actual true definition of a diagnosis. He showed different pathologies in concussion. White matter in the brain in particular se

Dr. Karsten has more than five years of clinical experience across diverse healthcare settings and currently works full-time on an acute inpatient neurorehabilitation unit, evaluating and treating adults with acquired brain injury and other neurological & complex orthopedic conditions. She also serves as a mentor to other staff members and acts as a supporting faculty member of the Neurologic Residency Program in acute inpatient rehabilitation at NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital. Dr. Karsten has presented posters at American Physical Therapy Association meetings and also at the 5th International Gait and Balance Symposium in Multiple Sclerosis. Her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree is from Hunter College and she has achieved Board Certification in Neurologic Physical Therapy. Part 2 covers related topics, including: some challenges that may characterize treating different kinds of patients based on age; possible impairments associated with an ABI involving  communication, loss of mobility, increased fatigu

Dr. Karsten has more than five years of clinical experience across diverse healthcare settings and currently works full-time on an acute inpatient neurorehabilitation unit, evaluating and treating adults with acquired brain injury and other neurological & complex orthopedic conditions. She also serves as a mentor to other staff members and acts as a supporting faculty member of the Neurologic Residency Program in acute inpatient rehabilitation at NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital. Dr. Karsten has presented posters at American Physical Therapy Association meetings and also at the 5th International Gait and Balance Symposium in Multiple Sclerosis. Her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree is from Hunter College and she has achieved Board Certification in Neurologic Physical Therapy. Part 1 covers various topics, including: an average day’s caseload size of patients who are being treated for an acquired brain injury or ABI; creation of a tool called the Preparedness for Caregiving Scale; kinds of skills being deve

Dr. Jonas Sokolof graduated from the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his PM&R residency at Harvard Medical School and his fellowship at the Kessler Institute. He joined NYU Langone Health and the Rusk Rehabilitation Institute in 2018 where he has served as director of oncological rehabilitation. His research interests include the role of lifestyle intervention in the rehabilitation of cancer patients.  Dr. Sokolof noted in Part 2 of his presentation that many patients may be reluctant to take medications. They don’t want injections and the last thing they look forward to is taking another drug or having something else done to them. Trismus is condition we often see in this population, developing from radiation. We tend to see it more as actual fibrosis of the muscles of mastication. Neuropathy also is quite common in this population. We often see it from the radiation itself. Post-radiation functional status and quality of life have a strong correlation with overall long-term surviv

Dr. Jonas Sokolof graduated from the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his PM&R residency at Harvard Medical School and his fellowship at the Kessler Institute. He joined NYU Langone Health and the Rusk Rehabilitation Institute in 2018 where he has served as director of oncological rehabilitation. His research interests include the role of lifestyle intervention in the rehabilitation of cancer patients.  In Part 1 of his presentation, he indicated that head and neck cancer is a unique pathology where a huge impact is made by physiatry. This kind of cancer is more commonly associated with older males, alcohol and tobacco use, genetics, and other factors. Head and neck cancer is on the rise in younger males. He mentioned different cancer subtypes, such as oral cavity and lip. Induction chemotherapy and chemoradiation tend to be the main forms of treatment presently rather than surgery alone. Radiation affects the surrounding tissue, which is where we as physiatrists come into play. The

Welcome back to this special two-part series. Part 1 covered various topics, including:  pulmonary conditions that could lead to the need for a transplant; if the recent resurgence of the coronavirus and its continued display of new emerging variants has affected the ability to furnish care for patients; kinds of contributions physiatry, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology clinicians can make in preparing patients for transplantation and in optimizing function; whether rehabilitation settings differ based on the kinds of health problems that patients have; and prevention of the occurrence of hospital readmissions.  Part 2 covers many new areas, including: how patients requiring rehabilitation services may differ according to personal characteristics, such as age and how such differences are taken into account when providing treatment; kinds of physiological changes patients can experience post-transplantation; prevention of the risk of infection; steps taken to deal with the

Welcome to this special two-part series with a panel of speakers.  Part 1 covers various topics, including:  pulmonary conditions that could lead to the need for a transplant; if the recent resurgence of the coronavirus and its continued display of new emerging variants has affected the ability to furnish care for patients; kinds of contributions physiatry, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology clinicians can make in preparing patients for transplantation and in optimizing function; whether rehabilitation settings differ based on the kinds of health problems that patients have; and prevention of the occurrence of hospital readmissions.  Megan Carroll is a Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Geriatric physical therapy. She has been an intensive care unit physical therapist working at NYU Langone Health since 2015. Camille Magsombol works on developing occupational therapy programs to support patients' successful health management of their chronic diseases, including medicatio

In Part 1, we discussed the incidence and prevalence of MS in the United States; whether MS is on the rise, holding steady, or in decline; kinds of symptoms that occur either singly or in combination and their impact on patients from the perspective of psychology; roles that stress and mood disturbances play in influencing various MS symptoms; how perception of illness perception by patients has an impact on psychological distress; other kinds of therapeutic interventions to treat symptoms; cultivation of resilience among patients; and helping patients to become adept as self-managers of MS. In Part 2, we discussed the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes among patients with MS; non-adherence to prescribed treatment plans; the extent to which lockdown policies have disrupted normal lifestyle and the ability to access health services; use of telemedicine with patients and how it compares in effectiveness with face-to-face interactions; and key insights observed as a result of working with  patients.  Felicia

In Part 1, we discussed the incidence and prevalence of MS in the United States; whether MS is on the rise, holding steady, or in decline; kinds of symptoms that occur either singly or in combination and their impact on patients from the perspective of psychology; roles that stress and mood disturbances play in influencing various MS symptoms; how perception of illness perception by patients has an impact on psychological distress; other kinds of therapeutic interventions to treat symptoms; cultivation of resilience among patients; and helping patients to become adept as self-managers of MS. Felicia Connor is the Director of Internship and Training for an APA approved internship program at NYU Langone Health, Rusk Rehabilitation. She is Board Certified in Rehabilitation Psychology and is a licensed clinical psychologist in Delaware and New York. For the last decade, she has specialized in rehabilitation of individuals with medical and neurological conditions with Traumatic Brain Injury, concussion, stroke and

Dr. Aaron Johnson is a researcher and speech-language pathologist specializing in voice debilitation and rehabilitation. His research laboratory is funded by the National Institutes of Health. He uses novel translational research methods to examine the effects of vocal training on laryngeal neuromuscular mechanisms in the aging larynx. His professional background includes a decade-long experience serving as a classical singer and teacher of singing. Dr. Johnson began Part 2 of his presentation regarding how the idea of exercise is to have some sort of repeated muscle use or stress designed to induce specific adaptations. The goals are to increase the strength or endurance of the muscles. Vocal exercises are built on both sides of the continuum. Endurance training involves a long duration of this activity under low load with high repetitions so we can have a power output over longer periods of time. With resistance training, we are thinking of short durations of activity with high load and typically not many r

Dr. Aaron Johnson is a researcher and speech-language pathologist specializing in voice debilitation and rehabilitation. His research laboratory is funded by the National Institutes of Health. He uses novel translational research methods to examine the effects of vocal training on laryngeal neuromuscular mechanisms in the aging larynx. His professional background includes a decade-long experience serving as a classical singer and teacher of singing. In Part 1 of his presentation, Dr. Johnson reviewed typical changes in the voice that relate to aging. His research group does MRI work and imaging studies in both humans and rodents. An increase in the number of older adults has helped to shift research into how to improve the quality of life among this group. He likes the following definition of aging: "It is a time-independent series of cumulative, progressive, intrinsic, and deleterious functional and structural changes that usually begin to manifest themselves in reproductive maturity and eventually culminate

Dr. Rizzo currently serves as director of innovation and technology in the department of rehabilitation medicine. He has published extensively. His research topics include: biomechanics; assistive and wearable technology; blindness and visual impairment; and sensory augmentation. He is a graduate of New York Medical College and completed his residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at NYU as well as a clinical research fellowship at the Rusk Rehabilitation Institute.  Dr. Rizzo began Part 2 of his grand round presentations with the question, “OK, what were our findings?” With existing GPS data sets, we need to be mindful of side view versus front view in where cameras are positioned. A data set being described had more side view images than front view, which can be extremely important for the visually impaired. He pointed to being excited  about a collaboration with the United Nations. We have shared these data with that organization and they are quite impressed with our results, which ca

John-Ross (JR) Rizzo, MD is a physician scientist at Rusk Rehabilitation. He leads the Visuomotor Integration Laboratory where his team focuses on eye-hand coordination as it relates to acquired brain injury. Dr. Rizzo has been recognized as a Top 40 under 40 by Crain’s for his industry-leading innovation and dedication to transforming the lives of those with vision deficiencies worldwide.  Dr. Rizzo began Part 1 of a two-part grand rounds presentation by asking, “What if the lights suddenly went out in this room?” He then proceeded to discuss virtual reality demonstrations of the three biggest vision killers in the U.S.: age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy. He showed a filter and asked the audience how disturbing it would be if you had it constantly sitting on top of your visual perception?  He displayed views to demonstrate profound differences between clear visual perception and altered perception secondary to these conditions. The problem is going from bad to worse. In the

Dr. Antonio Stecco is an Assistant Professor at Rusk Rehabilitation, New York University. A physiatrist, he has been President of the Fascial Manipulation Association since 2010, Assistant to the President of the International Society of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation from 2012 to 2014, and President of the International Myopain Society since 2020. His scientific activity is devoted to the study of the human fasciae from a macroscopically, histologically and patho-physiologically point of view. He personally made over 100 cadaver dissections for research. From 2007, he organized and personally held theoretical-practical courses about the Fascial Manipulation method in all five continents. The author of more than 50 in extensor papers about the fascia, Dr. Stecco has co-authored 5 books and is co-author of different chapters of international books. His medical degree and PhD degree are from the University of Padova in Italy. In Part 1, we discussed: what attracted him to accept a position at NYU Langone

Dr. Antonio Stecco is an Assistant Professor at Rusk Rehabilitation, New York University. A physiatrist, he has been President of the Fascial Manipulation Association since 2010, Assistant to the President of the International Society of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation from 2012 to 2014, and President of the International Myopain Society since 2020. His scientific activity is devoted to the study of the human fasciae from a macroscopically, histologically and patho-physiologically point of view. He personally made over 100 cadaver dissections for research. From 2007, he organized and personally held theoretical-practical courses about the Fascial Manipulation method in all five continents. The author of more than 50 in extensor papers about the fascia, Dr. Stecco has co-authored 5 books and is co-author of different chapters of international books. His medical degree and PhD degree are from the University of Padova in Italy. In Part 1, we discussed: what attracted him to accept a position at NYU Langone

Part 2 Advance care planning involves talking now about the future and the setting where someone has deteriorating health and is not able to converse with clinicians about patients’ wishes, preferences, fears, expectations of what is going on, and their hopes. At this juncture, there can be a discussion about a patient’s quality of life and what he or she would like it to be. Sometimes, patient preferences can be put into advance directives (e.g., a living will or a medical power-of-attorney). Some barriers to advance care planning were described. Examples of patient barriers are procrastination, apathy, and fear of burdening the family. Some provider barriers are a lack of desire in talking about a negative future outcome and not wanting to burden patients and families by discussing this topic. Two other big considerations are time constraints on the part of providers and a general lack of knowledge about advance directives. It is important to be able to offer some sort of direction to families regarding pos

Part 1 Although cancer is the second lead cause of death in the U.S., the rate has been falling. It is becoming more of a chronic disease and has a treatment paradigm that is different from the past. Cancer also is the second most common cause of disability claims. Breast and prostate cancer have a heightened incidence of disabling complications, which is relevant because it is a potential interplay area of palliative care and rehabilitation. Fewer patients are dying in hospitals while the home and hospice settings are on a little upswing. He mentioned common symptoms (e.g., pain and shortness of breath) at end-of-life that differentiate patients with cancer from those who do not have it. The ultimate goal of palliative care and rehabilitation is to improve quality of life. Palliative medicine is one component of the bigger group of palliative care interventions. Regarding hospice care, someone may or may not be eligible for hospice services because of the insurance situation, but everybody is eligible for go

Dr. Jonas Sokolof is Director of the Division of Oncological Rehabilitation and Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. He is certified by the American Board of PM&R both in Sports Medicine and in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. His doctor of osteopathy degree is from the New York Institute Of Technology. His Residency occurred at the Harvard Medical School and the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston. He also had a fellowship in sports medicine from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. Prior to arriving at NYU Langone Health in 2018, he was at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. In Part 1, we discussed the following:  if the recent COVID resurgence affected his ability to furnish care for patients with cancer; the types of cancer in which most of his patients can be found; what manual medicine entails; assessment of patients' emotional needs; supportive needs of patients of an informational, spir