Scientific Committee

WEM trained in the specialty of spinal injuries at Stoke Mandeville, Oxford, Guys Hospitals & the USA between 1971 and 1983. To date he personally treated 10,000 patients with traumatic Spinal , Spinal Cord and Cauda equina Injuries.WEM developed and led the Midland Centre for Spinal Injuries (MCSI) between 1983 & 2014. He took responsibility for the management of the injured spine, the multisystem impairment and malfunction as well as the range of non-medical and physical effects of cord injury in the acute,subacute, rehabilitation phases as well as in the long term. WEM lectured worldwide in developed and developing countries.He contributed to the literature with over 150 publications. He published his observations on the prognostic indicators of neurological recovery following Traumatic Spinal Cord Injuries and Introduced the concept of “Physiological Instability of the Injured Spinal Cord” and its influence on clinical management and outcomes.

WEM demonstrated that with simultaneous Active Physiological Conservative Management of all the physiologically impaired and malfunctioning systems of the body together with the injured spine neurological improvement/recovery occurs in most patients irrespective of the degree of Biomechanical Instability, Canal encroachment or Cord Compression.He raised about six million pounds from charity to rebuild and furnish the MCSI as well as develop two bungalows for transitional housing of patients from hospital to home.

He is Peer reviewer for several Journals.

WEM held the offices of: President of the International Spinal Cord Society, Chairman of the British Association of Spinal Cord Injury Specialists and Executive Member of the BSRM.Founder Member and trustee of SPIRIT Educational Charity in Spinal Injuries and Trans house Charity that provides interim accommodation between hospital and home for patients.He was Advisor to WHO ‘s & Co-author of the WHO International Perspectives on Spinal Cord Injury, which was published in 2013, Member of the NICE Guideline Developing Group in spinal injuries.He received several awards including: the Medal of the International Spinal Cord Society, National Hospital Doctor Team Award for Innovation, Paul Harris Fellowship of the Rotary Club, Outstanding achievement award from the Chinese Society of Spinal Injuries, Outstanding Consultant

Achievement award by the Spinal Injury Association, Hon. Presidency of the Romanian Spinal Cord Society. He was commended in the House of Lords on two occasions.WEM ‘s is an advocate for the demonstration of evidence based clinical management, the right of the patient to make a fully informed choice between the various methods of treatment including that of the injured spine. He strongly advocates for the management of patients by knowledgeable, well trained, experienced Clinicians and a team of Health Care professional in Specialized Spinal Cord Injury Centers with a fit for purpose infrastructure from the early hours or days following injury to enable the team to meet all the medical and non-medical needs of patients with such rare and complex condition.

Traumatic Spinal Injuries can present with or without neural tissue damage. Both the force and the direction of the impact determine the presence or absence of neurological damage.The principles of management of the injured spine and of the patients with or without neural tissue damage are very different and are likely to have an impact on the neurological and a range of other outcomes of the management.Traumatic spinal cord (tSCI) or cauda equina injuries (tCEI) are life-changing events with medical, physical, psychological, social, financial, vocational, environmental & matrimonial effects.The combination of small incidence (10-50/million population), consequent pan-physiological impairment, multi-system malfunction, sensory impairment/loss, multiple disabilities, together with their non-medical effects impose challenges to patients and clinicians alike.

This challenge is magnified during the transitional period between the spinal and autonomic areflexia (shock) and the return of these reflexes. During this period, which lasts a few days to weeks, the patient is at a much higher risk of a range of complications than following the return of autonomic and spinal reflex activity.Fortunately, with simultaneous adequate management of the injured spine together with each of the effects of cord damage, by a knowledgeable well-trained and experienced team of clinicians and health care professionals; almost all complications can be prevented or diagnosed and treated before deterioration, morbidity and neurological deterioration occur.

Neurological Recovery is not uncommon following tSCI & tCEI, is predictable and depends on:

• The quality of management of the multisystem physiological impairment and malfunction to prevent systemic and iatrogenic complications that cause further non-mechanical damage to neural tissues by destabilizing the Physiologically Unstable Injured neural tissue
• The adequacy of the management of the Biomechanical Instability of the injured spine to prevent further mechanical damage of the neural tissue from bony or ligamentous structures
• The presence or absence of clinical signs of sensory or sensory motor sparing at and below the level of injury