Energy expenditure after spinal cord injury: a case study

CC was 13 years old when she sustained a spinal cord injury that resulted in tetraplegia. After her acute phase of recovery, CC was placed on an excessive caloric regimen that was based upon estimates from known energy expenditure formulas that were adapted by various practitioners over the years. When CC graduated from high school and entered college, she selected dietetics and nutrition as a major. This was due in part to her own dietary management that enabled her to maintain her previous weight before injury. CC's calculations for energy expenditure were developed by her own trial and error over the years. Eleven years after the accident, CC determined that 50% of the recommended dietary allowance for resting energy expenditure was appropriate for her activity level, gender, and age.