A small US study has concluded that strength training beats Robot Assisted Gait Training for speed after incomplete spinal cord injury.
Read more here.

The United Spinal Association (an American Charity) is hosting free webinars in January. They may be worth checking out but might have limited relevance to UK readers.
Read more here:

A stem cell study has started in the University of Calgary, North America, with a stem cell transplant being successfully performed on a spinal cord injury patient. Neural stem cells were injected into a 29 year old patient who will be monitored to find out if implanting these cells is safe.

If the procedure is found safe it may later be studied to see if it could be used to regenerate spinal nerve tissue, offering the possibility of some degree of recovery.

To read more and see a TV interview with Dr. Michael Fehlings, head of the spinal program at Toronto Western Hospital, and the University of Calgary’s Dr. Steven Casha, who performed the procedure.

The top five chefs in the county will be joining forces for a spectacular charity event next month.

The event will take place at Chapter one Restaurant in Locksbottom Kent on March 17^th 2014

http://www.chapteronerestaurant.co.uk/

All the proceeds from the seven-course event will be benefitting the charity which is particularly close to McLeish, the chef patron at Chapter One.

Daniel Nicholls, who the foundation is named after, was a weekend runner at Chapter One, in Orpington, before he was paralysed from the arms down after breaking his neck.

It happened in 2003 when he dived into a wave on Bondi beach in Australia and hit his head on an unseen sandbank beneath the water. His father David Nicholls also worked with McLeish earlier in his career.

“The charity is quite close to our hearts really,” said McLeish. “We all hear stories like this but I know the guy. It really brings it home. It was such a huge shock.”

Tickets for the event are £120pp, which  includes  wine paired with each course. To book contact Cheryl Almond via email cheryl@chaptersrestaurants.com, or by calling the restaurant on 01689 854 848.

Car accidents are responsible for one in three spinal injuries in the USA and all Spinal injuries are on the rise in America according to a study from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Researchers studied the records of 43,137 adults treated for spinal chord injuries in the US between 2007 and 2009. They saw an increase in the number of injuries, particularly among older people and noted that one third of injuries were caused by motor vehicle accidents.

The Spinal Injuries Associations is promoting a fun fund raising Fish and Chip Supper night to raise funds for their work.

“The Great British Fish and Chip Supper is all about getting together and having fun.

You can host a supper in your own home, in your workplace or even in your local community centre.

You may want to enjoy an evening out with friends in a local restaurant or pub and ask friends to bring along a donation.”

Last year the event raised £10,000

The event takes place on Friday 16th May 2014 and you can visit their website for more information, ideas for your fun supper and your 2014 fundraising pack.

http://www.siafishandchips.co.uk/

Click here for more information about the Spinal Injuries Association: http://www.siafishandchips.co.uk/about-sia

Max Evans, Scotland’s Rugby star is also an ambassador of Wings for Life, a foundation that funds research into curing spinal cord injury.

The charity means a lot to Max as his brother Thom, who is also a Wings for Life ambassador, was forced to end his career with a serious neck injury suffered while making his 10th appearance for Scotland.

“Tomorrow (Thursday) is the anniversary of Thom’s injury against Wales and he was one of the lucky ones, in some respects. He was very close to being paralysed,” he said.

“It’s an injury that can happen in any walk of life and there is more potential for injury outside of sport, such as traffic accidents and falls, so we want to raise awareness and funding because scientists do believe it is possible to cure spinal cord injury, and be able to regenerate nerve cells.

“There is a big run, the Wings For Life World Run, on May 4 which is 36 races around the world all starting at the same time (British race starts at 11am at Silverstone). There is no finish line.

“You start the race and about 30 minutes later there is a Catcher Car that starts – when it catches the last person that’s the race over. There will be a UK winner, a world winner and it’s exciting – a good idea to raise money and awareness.”

Sportsman Rob Cam had everything ahead of him, with a place at Uni, and a love of both Rugby and rowing, life was looking good for Rob.

Young sportsman Rob Camm with family at Frenchay Hospital

Then in September 2013, after returning from travels in New Zealand and Australia, he was a passenger in a car that was involved in a road crash. He is now paralysed and in a wheelchair.

Rob suffered a high level C5 spinal injury in the accident and is now tetraplegic and on a ventilator.

Rob, 20, was a popular young man at Wycliffe College in Stonehouse and the entire school community are taking part in fundraising £20,000 which will help him realise his dream to take up that University place, where he plans to study Politics, Philosophy and Economics.

Old Wycliffians ,their families and current students and staff are doing many activities to raise funds, bungee jumping, rowing, an auction and there will be a special fund raising day on May 31^st 2014 where many are planning to run or walk one of the designated routes of up to 26 miles laid on by Wycliffe College.

To take part in this or any of the other fund raising events please visit www.cammpaign4rob.co.uk

Rt Hon John Bercow speaker of the House of Commons officially opened Vale of Aylesbury Housing Trust’s second Aspire House on Friday 24^th March 2014. These house are especially designed for people with spinal cord injuries.

Brian Carlin, CEO of Aspire, commented: “We are excited to be working with The Vale of Aylesbury Housing Trust once again to open our second house in the area.  We now have 37 houses around the UK. Due to a lack of accessible housing, 89% of spinal injured people are forced to live in inaccessible accommodation after they leave hospital.  Aspire, with the assistance of housing associations around the country, helps people live an independent life by providing temporary homes with fully accessible features whilst their permanent accessible housing is arranged.”

There is a great lack of suitable housing in the UK for people with spinal injuries often resulting in people facing delayed discharge, being discharged in to nursing homes or having to go into unsuitable accommodation.

Aspire provides temporary accommodation whilst a more permanent solution can be arranged.

To find out more about Aspire and their work to support people with spinal injuries please visit the Aspire website

Rugby League was stunned at news that Newcastle forward Alex McKinnons career is over after suffering a severe spinal injury in a match with Melbourne on Monday 24 March 2014.

McKinnon was stretchered from the field in a neck brace after landing on his head in an awkward tackle by Melbourne forwards Jesse Bromwich, his brother Kenny and Jordan McLean.

Initial scans confirmed the dislocation of the c4 and c5 vertebrae but first the injury was thought to be limited with no damage to the spinal chord, however further scans revealed what was called ‘devastating spinal injury’.  Alex is in intensive care and has been place in an induced coma. It could take two years for him to achieve recovery.

Spinal injuries are said to be extremely rare in Rugby League and Newcastle Coach Wayne Bennet said that in more than 50 years of coaching he had never seen such an injury.

Best way to prevent spinal injury in elderly is to remain active

A recent study by Johns Hopkins university in America revealed that falls are the cause of over 40% of spinal injuries and that infants teenagers and over 65s are the most at risk. In addition 35% of brain injuries are caused by falls.

Elderly people face particular challenges and are at a greater risk of brain injury complications like bleeding on the brain after a fall. Dizziness, blood pressure issues, poor hand and foot co-ordination, multiple medications can all add to the risk of a fall for elderly people and this can lead to an understandable desire to limit levels of activity to the minimum.

But remaining active is actually often the very best way of avoiding a fall. Regular exercise, keeping your home clear of clutter and asking your doctor to review your medication to make sure they all interact well are all good ways to keep the risk of a fall low. Good lighting and making sure your vision is as good as possible are also very important.

If you are experiencing any issues with balance, co-ordination, dizziness or any other symptoms that affect your ability to remain active it is essential you contact your doctor’s surgery and discuss this with them.

Company director and accountant arrested over possible £70,000 furlough fraud

This was the headline in September and a stark reminder of the possible consequences of committing furlough fraud. The government, the civil service and the police are taking furlough fraud very seriously.

Companies that fail to keep proper records are more liable for furlough fraud inspection

According to the BBC “HM Revenue and Customs, which administers the furlough scheme, has suggested that up to 10% of the money delivered by the scheme to mid-August – some £3.5bn – may have been paid out in fraud or error.”

National Audit office says the Furlough scheme is of deep concern to auditors

“If checks couldn’t be carried out before the money was released, they are being now. People who did commit fraud on these schemes can expect there’s a good chance that they will be detected and followed up and … the process of the law used as appropriate in those cases,” said Gareth Davies comptroller and auditor general at the National Audit Office.

Elsewhere in government the HMRC was reported to be investigating 27,000 ‘high-risk’ claims, whilst Gov minister Grant Shapps urged staff to report furlough fraud.

Extended furlough scheme has better fraud protection

Extension of Furlough arrangement through the winter until March 2021 is expected to spark further high risk claims. Whilst the revised Furlough fraud arrangements are designed to eliminate much of the fraud carried out in the first wave that doesn’t mean they are proof from further fraud.

You must act if you think you may be liable to the charge of furlough fraud

With such strong pursuit of anyone suspected of committing furlough fraud you cannot afford to let things lie. You should take qualified legal advice immediately. Penalties are severe and you need the best legal people possible. Adam Law Solicitors are financial fraud experts and will respond to any enquiry swiftly, ensuring you can mount the best defence possible, if that becomes necessary. Read more about Furlough Fraud and how we can help anyone worried about a possible prosecution here

Contact Adam Law Solicitors now

for immedaite expert advice

Phone us now on  0114 256 0111, or email us or use the form on this page.

Over 1,000 EncroChat arrests in UK

We offer EncroChat legal advice and representation. We are highly experienced Criminal Defence Lawyers with a proven track record of successful defences.

After a mass hack of EncroChat by police across Europe UK police have moved swiftly to arrest suspects. The hack netted over 20 million messages, and police are working their way these messages with the firm intention of making as many arrests as they can. It is estimated over 10,000 people in the UK used the EncroChat service.

Operation Venetic – UKs biggest ever crack down on organised crime

This is a huge operation with millions of pounds in cash and over two tonnes of drugs already seized in Operation Venetic, the UK’s biggest ever move against criminal networks. EncroChat, a secret messaging service, provided totally secure end to end encryption. This was widely understood to be used by criminals across the UK and Europe.

UK Police monitored EncroChat for months

Unknown to EncroChat users the police were monitoring messages for months before the service was shut down. This means they were able to amass huge amounts of incriminating evidence completely without the user’s knowledge.

NCA Director of Investigations Nikki Holland, said:

“The infiltration of this command and control communication platform for the UK’s criminal marketplace is like having an inside person in every top organised crime group in the country.

“This is the broadest and deepest ever UK operation into serious organised crime.

“The NCA is proud to have led the UK part of this operation, working in partnership with policing and other agencies. The results have been outstanding but this is just the start.

“A dedicated team of over 500 NCA officers has been working on Operation Venetic night and day, and thousands more across policing. And it’s all been made possible because of superb work with our international partners.

“Together we’ve protected the public by arresting middle-tier criminals and the kingpins, the so-called iconic untouchables who have evaded law enforcement for years, and now we have the evidence to prosecute them.

“The NCA plays a key role in international efforts to combat encrypted comms. I’d say to any criminal who uses an encrypted phone, you should be very, very worried.”

Get EncroChat legal advice now

If you have any reason to fear that you may be at risk of investigation or arrest as a result of Operation Venetic you should get expert advice now. You will need time to mount a strong defence, and this is best done before the police come calling. Contact us now for the very best legal advice.

Experienced successful criminal defence

Adam Law Solicitors are experts in criminal defence right across the board. We have successfully defended many clients. Many of these were for significant cases that achieved national recognition. We always find and mount the strongest defence possible and are determined in our pursuit of a successful result for our clients.

EncroChat concerns. Contact Adam Law Solicitors now

Phone us now on 0114 256 0111, or email us or use the form on this page.