Implementation and Sustainability of Exercise Interventions in Persons With Spinal Cord Injury: Research...

Exercise participation among persons living with a spinal cord injury (PwSCI) typically declines after the end of rehabilitation programs or exercise studies. The limited exercise implementation research involving PwSCI challenges the implementation and sustainability of exercise in the real world. The Physical Activity Special Interest Group of the International Spinal Cord Society developed consensus-based recommendations to improve the methodological quality of exercise intervention research involving PwSCI. Some of the recommendations pertain to intervention delivery fidelity and to exercise sustainability after the end of research studies. This article outlines actionable strategies to utilize such recommendations and provides more in-depth guidance to advance the impact of exercise implementation research involving PwSCI. We suggest research teams follow these strategies, as their adoption and proper reporting will maximize fidelity and exercise sustainability and thus advance SCI exercise implementation research.