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Functional recovery in children and adolescents with spinal cord injury

Ankita Choksi1, Elise L Townsend, Helene M Dumas

  • 1Department of Physical Therapy, MGH Institute of Health Professions, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Pediatric Physical Therapy : the Official Publication of the Section on Pediatrics of the American Physical Therapy Association
|May 18, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Children with spinal cord injury (SCI) demonstrated significant functional recovery in mobility and self-care during inpatient rehabilitation, with incomplete injuries showing greater self-care gains.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Rehabilitation
  • Neuroscience
  • Disability Studies

Background:

  • Spinal cord injury (SCI) in children presents unique challenges to functional development.
  • Inpatient rehabilitation is crucial for maximizing recovery potential in pediatric SCI.
  • Assessing functional outcomes is key to understanding rehabilitation effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate functional recovery in mobility and self-care using the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) in children with SCI during inpatient rehabilitation.
  • To identify demographic and clinical factors influencing functional recovery in pediatric SCI.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective chart review of 32 children and adolescents with SCI (ages 1-19).
  • Data collected on functional skills using PEDI mobility and self-care domains.
  • Analysis of functional changes during an inpatient physical rehabilitation program.

Main Results:

  • Significant improvements in functional skill recovery and reduced caregiver assistance were observed post-rehabilitation.
  • Mobility skills showed greater recovery compared to self-care skills.
  • Children with incomplete SCI achieved greater independence in self-care than those with complete SCI.

Conclusions:

  • Pediatric SCI patients experience notable functional gains in mobility and self-care during inpatient rehabilitation.
  • The PEDI effectively measures functional improvements and reduced caregiver dependency.
  • Injury completeness is a factor in self-care recovery for pediatric SCI.
Abstract

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