A HEIDELBERG doctor is trying to relieve some of the pain for people suffering spinal cord injury.

David Berlowitz has been awarded a $50,000 Institute of Safety, Compensation and Recovery Research development grant to develop an integrated research database for spinal cord injury patients.

Dr Berlowitz, who works at Austin Health’s Institute for Breathing and Sleep and the Victorian Respiratory Support Service, said the project monitored the patient’s injury management and lifestyle for the rest of their lives.

He said the project, which he had been working on for more than a decade, would allow doctors to learn about how people are coping with their injury.

“We know what happens when they get the injury, but not what happens over the next 50 to 60 years,” Dr Berlowitz said.

“The research is really about trying to best establish a quality and safety register so we can see how people are living with the injury.

“The system we are going to use will be internationally recognised.”

He said there were 100 new spinal cord injuries in Victoria every year, and he was aiming to have a pilot program up and running within the next 18 months.

See more here:
Heidelberg doctor researches spinal cord injury

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