Clinical Insights From Within: An Analytic Autoethnography of SCI Rehabilitation

This analytic autoethnography explores the rehabilitation journey of a spinal cord injury (SCI) survivor who is also a movement scientist. Drawing on personal bodily experiences, daily logs, and critical reflections over five years, the study analyzes how standardized rehabilitation protocols may fail to address individual needs. Three main themes emerged: the need for personalized stretching protocols that consider postural variations; overlooked biomechanical and procedural limitations in robotic gait therapy; and the underutilization of cardiovascular training despite its potential in chronic SCI management. These insights, grounded in both lived experience and movement science, point to systemic blind spots in SCI rehabilitation. By combining subjective embodiment with theoretical reasoning, this study contributes practitioner-informed critiques that may support more adaptive and patient-centered approaches in neurological rehabilitation practice.