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Functional independence in persons with spinal cord injury in Helsinki
Antti Dahlberg1, Mervi Kotila, Hannu Kautiainen
1Käpylä Rehabilitation Centre, Finnish Association of People with Mobility Disabilities, Helsinki, Finland. antti.dahlberg@invalidiliitto.fi
Objective:
To estimate the functional independence of persons with spinal cord injury according to the Functional Independence Measure motor items.
Design:
The study design was cross-sectional.
Subjects:
All adult citizens of Helsinki with traumatic spinal cord injury were identified. The final study group consisted of 121/152 subjects (80%).
Methods:
Functional Independence Measure assessments and American Spinal Cord Association examinations were performed on all subjects by the same experienced group including a physician and a physiotherapist.
Results:
The most assistance-craving items were climbing stairs and bladder management. There were no significant differences between the genders. Subjects with tetraplegia needed significantly more assistance in all motor items except walking/wheelchair locomotion, where there was no significant difference. Subjects with tetraplegia in American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale D had higher Functional Independence Measure scores, more functional independence, than subjects in American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale A-C, the difference being significant.
Conclusion:
Because of new information, the results of this study may provide better possibilities for planning and coordinating rehabilitation measures and social services.
