Does Movement Training Enable Patients with Complete Thoracolumbar Spinal Cord Injury to Walk? A Preliminary Trial

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential benefits of motor training in patients with complete thoracolumbar spinal cord injury.

In an outpatient physical medicine and rehabilitation clinic in Tehran, a preliminary clinical trial was conducted on an available sample. Twenty-five patients with complete spinal cord injury were included in this study. All patients were paraplegic and complete spinal cord injury was proven for them by para clinical methods. All patients participated in a comprehensive rehabilitation training program that was personalized. This program included a combination of the Swiss ball and the use of ankle orthosis, as well as ankle and knee long leg orthosis and the use of a parallel bar.

Fourteen of the participants were men and 11 were women. The age of the participants was between 19 and 52 years with an average of 31.54 years. Gait information, somatosensory evoked potential response and magnet motor evoked potential were recorded from all of them. Our study showed that individualized exercise program enables patients with complete spinal cord injury to move. After receiving movement intervention, the patients were able to walk and continued.

Movement training can stimulate the production of response in complete spinal cord injury. At the same time, motor training does not improve neurological deficits in patients with complete spinal cord injury.