Scott Falci, MD, has been providing highly advanced treatments for people with spinal cord injuries for three decades. We encourage anyone to visit us, whether you've been living with a spinal cord injury for two months or more than 40 years. If you're looking for solutions and relief from various symptoms related to your chronically injured spinal cord, we want to help.

We see many of the same symptoms and are equipped to handle them with various treatment options. These include:

• New or worsening blood pressure regulation and sweating, known as autonomic dysreflexia (AD)
• New or worsening pain in parts of the body where the sensation is absent or abnormal
• New or worsening spasticity of the legs, trunk, and arms
• Progressive loss of sensation and strength in the arms, trunk, and legs
• Worsening bowel, bladder, or sexual function
• Worsening respiratory function

A degree of functional loss may occur after sustaining a spinal cord injury from any cause. This includes, a traumatic event like a motor vehicle accident, hemorrhage, tumor, prior surgery or infection. Recovery and rehabilitation can help return function and reduce symptoms of spasticity and pain. However, for some, a progression of these symptoms can occur.

For example, an individual with an incomplete spinal cord injury who was walking may start noticing progressive weakness and sensory loss in the legs with perhaps worsening bowel and bladder function. These symptoms are often caused by secondary changes to the spinal cord and canal that occur and progress after the injury.

We understand the neurological complexities of those with spinal cord injuries and work to develop comprehensive, customized care, which can include both surgical and nonsurgical options.

We are able to treat complex spinal deformities and degenerative spine issues with surgical options. These include:

• Surgery for Charcot spine
• Surgical correction for scoliosis
• Surgical correction for spinal stenosis and ruptured disc

After a spinal cord injury, involuntary contractions of the muscles of the legs, trunk, and arms can occur. To treat spasticity, surgical options are available if oral medications do not work. Treatments include:

• Intrathecal baclofen pumps
• Selective sensory micro-rootlet section
• Spinal cord untethering paired with expansion duraplasty or syrinx (cyst) shunting

A spinal cord injury can lead to changes in the way spinal fluid flows around the spinal cord and canal. It can also change the way the spinal cord and rootlets normally move. This scarring of the spinal cord and rootlets to the dura is called tethering. If symptoms become significant, surgery may be an option. These include:

• Spinal cord untethering with expansion duraplasty
• Dorsal root entry zone microcoagulation

You may experience pain in parts of the body. Common pain descriptors include a sharp, burning, electrical stabbing or pins-and-needles sensation. If pain becomes severe, surgical options are available, such as:

• Spinal cord untethering with expansion duraplasty
• Dorsal root entry zone microcoagulation

If you are a new patient, we want to provide you with some resources to help make your visits with us as smooth as possible.

• Arrival — You will be asked to arrive 15 minutes early to complete the paperwork. You can download, print, and complete the forms prior to your appointment. Please bring completed forms, a list of your medications, recent copies of X-rays, lab results and your insurance card to your appointment.
• Billing — Your co-payment and past-due account balance is due at the time of service. We accept checks, debit and all major credit cards. You can access your records and billing summaries via our patient portal. You can also use our secure online bill pay option to pay current statement balances online without setting up an account.
• Insurance — We will submit claims to most major insurance carriers. Please bring your insurance card and I.D. with you to every visit so we can ensure that our records are accurate.
• Cancellations or rescheduling — We ask that you call at least 24 hours in advance to cancel or reschedule appointments. We make every effort to stay on schedule, although emergencies arise.
• Refill requests — We are happy to help with refill requests during regular office hours, so please contact us to let us know what you need.
• After-hours and emergencies — If you are experiencing a medical emergency, dial 911. However, if you need after-hours advice for a medical concern, please contact us and our answering service will assist you.

Our research studies and publications are built on discovering new medical techniques and innovative information.

Dr. Falci has been working with scientists at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, for the past 29 years to develop cellular therapies for restoration of spinal cord function. The team's current focus has been the use of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). These cells can be derived from the cells of ordinary tissues of a patient, such as the skin, after manipulation with specific proteins known as transcription factors. Presently, the team is researching the use of iPSCs to obliterate syrinx cavities in those with posttraumatic syringomyelia to both stabilize the cavity and potentially gain function.

Dr. Falci has been pioneering surgical techniques to eradicate severe spinal cord injury neuropathic pain refractory to all medications while also analyzing human spinal cord neuropathic-pain-producing tissue using techniques of proteomics (cellular protein identification) and transcriptomics (cellular RNA identification) to aid in drug discovery for the treatment of spinal cord injury neuropathic pain. This research has led to a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drug trial currently underway. Collaborative partners include the University of Minnesota Dept. of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Harvard University Dept. of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Dr. Falci has been promoting the development of human-machine interface and brain-machine interface technologies to aid in the function and daily living of those with spinal cord injuries. Through his nonprofit, Falci Adaptive Motorsports (FAM), he has brought together physicians, engineers and NASCAR to develop technologies that allow those with a spinal cord injury to gain a lost function with the use of a computer interface and a machine.

His nonprofit has led to the development of drive technologies wherein a tetraplegic individual can drive a NASCAR racecar safely around a racetrack using only his or her head and mouth. Current research with the University of Miami will result in the use of brain-machine interface technology to allow a tetraplegic individual to drive the same NASCAR racecar safely around a racetrack using "thought." Although current research and development are with drive technologies, FAM and research collaborators will be working to develop human-machine interface technologies for all functions of daily living a spinal cord individual may need assistance with.