Incomplete spinal cord injury, exercise and life satisfaction

The majority of the people with incomplete spinal cord injury lose their walking ability, due to the weakness of their muscle motors in providing torque. As a result, developing assistive devices to improve their conditionis of great importance. In this study, a combined application of the saddle-assistive device (S-AD) and mechanical medial linkage or thosis was evaluated to improve the walking ability in patients with spinal cord injury in the gait laboratory. This mobile assistive device is called the saddle-assistive device equipped with medial linkage or thosis (S-ADEM). In this device, a mechanical orthosis was used in a wheeled walker as previously done in the literature. Initially, for evaluation of the proposed assistive device, the experimental results related to the forces and torques exerted on the feet and upper limbs of a person with the incomplete Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) during walking usingthe standard walker were compared with an those obtained from using the S-ADEM on an able-bodied subject. It was found that using this combination of assistive devices decreases the vertical force and torque on the foot at the time of walking by 53% and 48%, respectively compared to a standard walker. Moreover, the hand-reaction force on the upper limb was negligible instanding and walking positions usingthe introduced device. The findings of this study revealed that the walking ability of the patients with incomplete SCI was improved using the proposed device, which is due to the bodyweight support and the motion technology used in it.

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Incomplete spinal cord injury

Surgical Neurology ◽

10.1016/0090-3019(82)90337-8 ◽

1982 ◽

Vol 18 (4) ◽

pp. 257

Author(s):

Paul Dollfus

Keyword(s):

Spinal Cord ◽

Spinal Cord Injury ◽

Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury ◽

Cord Injury

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Resilient Coping Types in People With Spinal Cord Injury: Latent Class Analysis

Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin ◽

10.1177/0034355221990736 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 003435522199073

Author(s):

Chungyi Chiu ◽

Jessica Brooks ◽

Alicia Jones ◽

Kortney Wilcher ◽

Sa Shen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Spinal Cord ◽

Spinal Cord Injury ◽

Life Satisfaction ◽

Latent Class Analysis ◽

Latent Class ◽

Psychosocial Interventions ◽

Self Report ◽

Class Analysis ◽

Multivariate Tests ◽

Cord Injury

Resilience is central to living well with a spinal cord injury (SCI). To provide a timely, targeted, and individualized intervention supporting resilience, it is necessary to assess an individual’s resilience level and characteristics of resilience on an ongoing basis. We aimed to validate the different types of resilient coping among people with SCI (PwSCI), using the Connor–Davidson resilience scale, and to identify the relationships between resilience and other psychosocial factors among the types of resilient coping. We recruited 93 PwSCI, who took the self-report measures of resilience, depression, life satisfaction, and spirituality. Using latent class analysis, we found three types: (a) goal-pursuing, bouncing-back, and persevering, named GP; (b) uncertainty about coping with setbacks, named UC; and (c) loss of resilient coping, named LOSS. The multivariate tests indicated that the three types differed on a linear combination of resilience, depression, and life satisfaction, with a large effect size. We discussed the three types of resilient coping and the implications for psychosocial interventions. We also recommended that rehabilitation clinicians examine PwSCI’s resilience levels and types of resilience during initial and follow-up visits. In doing so, PwSCI will have timely, targeted supports for developing and/or re-building their resilience.

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