A qualitative interview study on how people with incomplete spinal cord injury experience high-intensity walking exercise

Study design Qualitative, in-depth research interviews. Objective To provide new insight into how people with a recent incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI) experience high-intensity walking exercise after discharge from subacute inpatient rehabilitation. Setting Informants for this interview study participated in a previous randomized controlled trial (RCT) that was conducted at Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital, Norway. Methods Four individual face-to-face interviews were conducted with the participants in natural setting. The interviews were analyzed through systematic text condensation and discussed in the context of experiences of bodily changes. Results Four themes emerged that described positive but also challenging bodily experiences related to performing high-intensity walking exercise: “Expectations and motivation”—reasons for participating, “Challenging bodily changes”—impacts on walking ability, “Adaptation strategies”—achieving the high-intensity target level, and “Integrating exercise into a new daily life”—combining participation, new body and new life. Conclusions This study indicates the importance of participating in a specific exercise program at discharge from subacute inpatient rehabilitation for ambulant people with SCI. However, high-intensity walking exercise may be too demanding to perform during this time period. The insights from the study provide new knowledge that can contribute to improving clinical rehabilitation practice.