Outcomes following an adaptive rock climbing program in a person with an incomplete spinal cord injury: A case report

The purpose of this case report was to document outcomes following a rock climbing program for an individual with an incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI). The participant was a 61 year-old male who sustained a C6 cervical AIS D SCI. Initially, he was only able to climb 30% of the rock wall with assistance and was unable to climb unassisted. Outcome measures included muscle strength, arm girth, the Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BESTest), distance climbed, climbing performance, and the Quality of Life Profile for Adults with Physical Disabilities. The intervention included two 90-min sessions per week for 19 weeks. One session comprised traditional physical therapy and the second took place at an indoor rock climbing gym. Following the intervention, he was able to climb 100% of the wall with assistance and 48% unassisted. He made improvements in all categories of the quality of life scale, while changes in muscle strength and arm girth varied. No improvements were noted in balance. A task-based physical therapy program focusing on strengthening and rock climbing-specific activities improved the rock climbing ability of an individual with an incomplete cervical SCI.