Faculty Book
ALBERTO MARTINEZ-ARIZALA, M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor, Neurology, Neurosurgery and
Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation
Pathophysiology and Treatment of Spasticity and Pain in Spinal Cord Injury
Research
Interests
My research interests focus on two common complications that are seen following spinal cord injury: pain and spasticity. These two symptoms can be quite prominent in a significant number of patients and can interfere with their daily activities and affect their quality of life. My interests include investigating the basis for the development of the different spasticity and pain profiles in the spinal cord injured population and to study potential novel treatments for this conditions.
We have established a very active and comprehensive Pain Team in The Miami Project in order to better characterize the types and causes of pain seen following spinal cord injury. The ultimate goal is to further our understanding of these disorders and to develop more effective treatments. To that end, the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center is a major spinal cord injury center which provides patients care for the acutely spinal cord-injured patient and for their comprehensive rehabilitation. This setting provides a significant number of patients in which to study these disorders.
Martinez-Arizala A, Green BA and Bunge RP (1999) Experimental Spinal Cord Injury: Pathophysiology and Treatment. In: The Spine, Fourth Edition. Rothman RH, Simeone FA (eds). W.B. Saunders, Philadelphia, pp 1143-1168.
Martinez-Arizala A and Green BA (1998) Experimental Spinal Cord Injury. In Spine Trauma. Levine AM, Eismont FJ, Garfin SR, Zigler JE (eds). W.B. Saunders, Philadelphia, pp 87-101.
Martinez-Arizala A and Brackett NL (1994) Sexual Dysfunction in Spinal Cord Injury. In: Sexual Dysfunction: A Neuromedical Approach. Singer C, Weiner WJ (eds). Futura Publishing, Armonk, 7:135-153.
Nance PW, Bugaresti J, Shellenberger K, Sheramata W, Martinez-Arizala A (1994) Efficacy and safety of tizanidine in the treatment of spasticity in patients with spinal cord injury. North American Tizanidine Study Group. Neurology, 44:S44-S52.
Martinez-Arizala A and Green BA (1992) Hypothermia in spinal cord injury. J Neurotrauma, 9:S497-S505. [Abstract]
Gonzalez F, Chang JY, Banovac K, Messina D, Martinez-Arizala A and Kelley RJ (1991) Autoregulation of cerebral blood flow in patients with orthostatic hypotension after spinal cord injury. Paraplegia, 29:1-7.
Pattany PM, Widerström-Noga EG, Bowen BC, Martinez-Arizala A, Garcia BR, Cuevo E, Quencer RM, Yezierski RP. Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy following Spinal Cord Injury: Evaluation of patients with Chronic Neuropathic Pain. In: Spinal Cord Injury pain: Assessment, Mechanisms, Management. Progress in Pain Research and Management, Vol.23. Kim J Burchiel and Robert P Yezierrski (Eds), IASP Press, Seattle, 2002.
Last updated June 11, 2002
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