Rehabilitation, Spinal Cord Injuries
Conditions
Keywords
Rehabilitation, Surfaces, Walking, Spinal cord injury
Brief summary
The study compares effects of 4-week walking training program on a walking track with difference surface \[WTDS\] and a firm ground on functional ability of ambulatory individuals with incomplete spinal cord injury \[iSCI\], using within- and between-group comparisons.
Interventions
OTHERRehabilitation therapy
Subjects are trained to walk overground (control) or over WTDS (experimental) for 5 days/week over 4 week. Then they will be monthly follow-up for fall data.
Sponsors
Khon Kaen University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
1. Age at least 18 years 2. Having an incomplete SCI (the American Spinal Cord Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale or AIS C or D) (Kirshblum et al., 2011) 3. At a sub-acute or chronic stage of injury (post injury time: PIT \> 3 months) (Wirth et al., 2008; Blackwell et al., 2001) 4. Able to walk with or without a walking device for at least 10m (Behrman et al., 2005; Lam et al., 2008; Jackson et al., 2008) 5. Having a body mass index (BMI) between 18.5-29.9 kg/m2 (Woo et al., 2007)
Exclusion criteria
1. Having an SCI from a progressive disease such as multiple sclerosis or malignancy 2. Having other medical conditions that might affect ambulatory ability, such as pain in the musculoskeletal system with an intensity of pain more than 5 out of 10 on a numeric rating pain scale (Dijkers, 2010), deformities of the spine and lower extremities (i.e. scoliosis, kyphosis, and equinovarus) and other neurological or other medical disorders (thromboembolism, autonomic dysreflexia). 3. Severe spasticity of the lower extremities (Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) more than 2) (Bohannon & Smith, 1987; Scivoletto et al., 2008).
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 10-meter walk test (10MWT) | Change over 4 weeks | Subjects walk at a comfortable pace along a 10m walkway. The test records the time use over the middle 4m of the walkway in order to minimize acceleration and deceleration effects. Then the average time over the 3 trials is converted to walking speed using the formula v=distance (m) /time (s) |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Timed up and go test (TUGT) | Change over 4 weeks | Subjects stand up from a standard armchair, walk around a traffic cone that is located 3m away from the chair, and return to sit down on the chair at a maximum and safe speed. The test records the time taken from the command Go until the subject's back against the backrest of the chair. Then the average times finding over the 3 trials is used for data analysis. |
| Five times sit-to-stand test (FTSST) | Change over 4 weeks | The time taken to complete 5 chair-rise cycles at a fastest and safe speed is measured for each subject. Then the average time over the 3 trials is used for data analysis. |
| 6-minute walk test (6MWT) | Change over 4 weeks | Subjects walk along a rectangular walkway as long as possible in 6 minutes. Every minute during the test, they are informed the time left and encouraged to continue in a good manner. Subjects are able to take a period of rest as needed and continued walking as soon as they can. The distance covered after 6 minutes are recorded |
| Incidence of fall | Six months after completing the training program. | Then subject will be monthly monitored for the fall data during 6 months using a fall diary and telephone. |
Countries
Thailand
Outcome results
None listed