Krembil Neuroscience Centre (KNC)

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Established in 1994 and currently led by Dr. Michael Fehlings, the Krembil Neuroscience Spine Program is recognized as a Center of Excellence in Spine and Spine Cord Injury Care by the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation.  The Spine Program emphasizes the bench-to-bedside approach that fosters translation of new scientific discovery into improved patient outcomes.

Spine cord injuries cause interruptions in message systems from the brain to the rest of the body. These injuries can be the result of accidents or conditions that damage the Spine cord.  Injury to the Spine cord can produce sensory and motor disabilities, affecting a person's ability to move and control muscles and affecting the function of organs.

Understanding Spine Cord Injury

The spine provides support for the human body and allows us to stand erect. It consists of a series of bones called vertebrae. There are 33 vertebrae in total.
The vertebrae are divided into sections called the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral and coccygeal areas. Between each of these vertebrae are located discs. The centre of the vertebrae provides an opening through which the Spine cord travels.

Spine nerves exit from the Spine cord at each vertebral level. The Spine cord and Spine nerves carry messages between the brain and the rest of the body. Injury to the Spine cord results in both sensory and motor disabilities. Spine cord injury results from pressure on the Spine cord. There are many possible causes, including Spine tumours, Spine stenosis, spondylolithesis, spondylosis, and myelopathy.

Spine cord injury may result in a loss of:

1. Movement/Muscle Control: Inability to move muscles; muscles may have spastic contractions or may atrophy from disuse.
2. Sensation: Inability to feel hot/cold, pressure, pain, position sense, and also inability to regulate body temperature.
3. Organ Systems: Loss of control of bowel/bladder. The individual may need treatment to assist with sexual function and fertility

Our focus of care includes:

• Surgical Intervention 
• Patient Education
• Imaging Pathophysiology of Spinal Cord
• Injury Tissue Banking 
• Patient Management Acute Care
• Spinal Cord Registry
• Pre-clinical Pharmaceutical Trials
• Spinal Cord Regeneration Clinical Trials

Fellowship Program:
The Toronto Western Hospital Spine Program is a combined Orthopaedic and Neurosurgical program. There are two Orthopaedic and two Neurosurgical trained attending spine surgeons, each with different clinical and research focus.

The main areas of research include spinal cord injuries, deformity, education, minimally invasive spine surgery as well as clinical outcomes in all aspects of surgical spine care. We offer Clinical Fellowships to graduates of accredited Orthopaedic or Neurosurgical Residency Programs to pursue further subspecialty training in spinal surgery. Although the Clinical Fellowship Program has a predominantly surgical focus, Fellows are involved in all aspects of patient care.

For more information about this program, please click here.

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