Increasing sensory and motor stimulation for the patient with quadriplegia

The common perception about the individual with quadriplegia (having a lesion at C5 and above) as a fragile, immobile, and medically unstable individual is in direct conflict with the concept of successful rehabilitation. Long hospitalizations, constant medical attention, and profound physical dependence often work against the efforts of those providing rehabilitation to ease the patient's transition back to as normal a life style as possible. This paper describes a successfully executed sensory and motor stimulation program, designed to meet the needs of the sensory-deprived individual with quadriplegia and to deemphasize the perception of both physical and psychological fragility.