[Electromyographic characteristics of recovery of motor function in patients with lesions of the cervical division of the spinal cord]. / Elektromiograficheskaia kharakteristika vosstanovleniia dvigatel'nykh funktsii u bol'nykh s porazheniem sheinogo otdela spinnogo mozga.

Electromyographic examination used for determining spontaneous activity of the muscles in patients with an injury at the level of C3-C6 showed that at the first stage the most significant sign was the presence of at least weak activity in the muscles of the lower extremities. This was usually a precursor of the successful restoration of motor functions and indicated the smallest volume of the injury and the absence of complications. At the later stages of treatment of these patients EMG revealed considerable activity in all major muscle groups ensuring walking and the maximum independence of the patient.

[Restoration of motor functions in disruption of the spinal cord or cauda equina]. / O vostanovlenii dvigatel'nykh funktsii pri pereryve spinnogo mozga ili konskogo khvosta.

Eight patients with a rupture of the spinal cord at the level of middle thoracic vertebrae or cauda equina at the lumbar level showed partial recovery of motor functions. The development of the activity was revealed by electromyography in body muscles and M. gluteus media in all the patients who attempted voluntary movements. Appearance and development of the activity was also observed in the muscles of the femur and crus. The level of rehabilitation shown by the patients was high enough. They could walk in fixation apparatuses, returned to their occupational activities and could practice self-service. The motor functions recovered more rapidly at the low levels of injury; however, the same and possibly complete rehabilitation was attained in 2 patients with a higher level of injury. The mechanism of the function recovery is underlain by the compensatory development of activity in the muscles of the body and capacity of the distal strip of the spinal cord for elaboration of new motor reactions in which the muscles of the extremities participate.

[Characteristics of the reflex to stretching in spinal cord injury]. / Nekotorye osobennosti refleksa na rastiazhenie pri travme spinnogo mozga.

This work is aimed at ascertaining the correlation in the state of spinal cord reflex apparatus in spinal patients with the presence or absence of clonus. The value of electrical response of m. Soleus to passive flexion of the foot at different speed was studied. Clonus was observed in 10 patients (the first group), and absent in 12 (the second group). Ten normal persons served as controls. The curves of the response value distribution displayed a marked difference in individual test groups. The first group was characterized by the mode shift to the right, and the second group--to the left, in comparison with the control. This was true of all angular speeds tested. The threshold speed proved to be statistically significantly increased in the second group as compared with the normal; in the first group it was about the normal. The activity in the shin muscle and the capacity to move and even to walk was observed in the majority of the patients of the first group and only in a few patients of the second group. The data obtained showed that in patients with clonus the state of the spinal cord reflex apparatus was more normalized and the clinical condition was better than in those without clonus.

[Electromyographic indices of lesion to the spinal cord following its trauma]. / Elektromiograficheskie pokazateli povrezhdeniia spinnogo mozga posle ego travmy

There was revealed a possibility of making a more precise diagnosis of the extent of the spinal cord trauma with the aid of electromyography, even at the early period of treatment. The following indices revealed on the attempt to move indicated the absence of anatomical section of the spinal cord: 1) with the level of the trauma at D5--D10 the absence of retardation in time of inclusion into the activity of the lower portions of the long muscles of the body in comparison with their upper portions; 2) with the level of the trauma at D10--L5--L1--the presence of the activity in the muscles of the hip and the shin recorded even in the form of individual potentials of low amplitude; 3) irrespective of the level of the trauma, the appearance of the activity in the symmetrical muscles of one foot on the attempt to move the other one. Even in the presence of one positive index the motor functions were restored in the majority of the patients by the restitution type.