Association between reliance on devices and people for walking and ability to walk community distances among persons with spinal cord injury

Objective To identify and describe the frequency of reliance on assistive devices and/or people for ambulating distances and stair climbing. Design Survey. Setting A total of 429 adults with traumatic spinal cord injury who were able to walk at least 10 m were identified through inpatient and outpat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The journal of spinal cord medicine 2012-05, Vol.35 (3), p.156-161
Main Authors: Brotherton, Sandra S., Saunders, Lee L., Krause, James S., Morrisette, David C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Activities of Daily Living
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Ambulation
Assistive technology
Canes
Crutches
Depression
Disability Evaluation
Female
Health Surveys
Humans
Incomplete
Male
Middle Aged
Pain
Self-Help Devices
Spinal cord injuries
Spinal Cord Injuries - physiopathology
Spinal Cord Injuries - rehabilitation
Walkers
Walking
Walking - physiology
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Summary:Objective To identify and describe the frequency of reliance on assistive devices and/or people for ambulating distances and stair climbing. Design Survey. Setting A total of 429 adults with traumatic spinal cord injury who were able to walk at least 10 m were identified through inpatient and outpatient hospital databases at a specialty hospital in the southeast United States. Outcome measure Data were collected using a self-report questionnaire including items related to distances walked and devices used for ambulation. Results Participants best able to ambulate community distances were those who were independent with ambulation and those who used one cane or crutch. Reliance on people or use of a walker was associated with walking shorter distances. Regression analysis indicated reliance on devices or people for walking predicted variation in ability to ambulate community distances after controlling for demographic and injury characteristics. Conclusion This study suggests that reliance on devices or a person for assistance is important to consider when assessing potential for achieving functional community ambulation.
ISSN:1079-0268
2045-7723
DOI:10.1179/2045772312Y.0000000012