Prescription and evaluation of physical activity in people after spinal cord injury

Abstract

Background: Physical activity (PA) plays an important rehabilitation role in individuals after spinal cord injury (SCI) due to its bio-psycho-social benefits. Professional societies use guidelines to determine the type and initial and ideal volume of PA.

Aims and methods: The questionnaire survey examined the prescription, knowledge of current guidelines and verification of the effect of PA in the follow-up care of individuals with SCI among 28 experts in spinal rehabilitation. Fourteen men and 14 women participated in the study (1 medical doctor, 11 physiotherapists, 9 occupational therapists, 5 exercise therapists, 2 self-sufficiency instructors).

Results: All respondents agreed on the importance of PA in SCI rehabilitation. Respondents regularly educate individuals about PA, mostly with the help of illustrative examples (N=20) or video materials (N=9) and links to other organizations. Knowledge of the guidelines was only minimal (N=4), however, a large proportion fulfilled the guidelines. Most of respondents (N=22) retrospectively check the PA level, especially with the help of evaluation forms.

Conclusion: The research showed a high level of awareness of the importance of PA among spinal rehabilitation professionals. In the future, a wider awareness of the guidelines is desirable, so that in addition to physiotherapy and occupational therapy, aerobic activity and strengthening are also more recommended.