Advances in the Rehabilitation of the Spinal Cord–Injured Patient: The Orthopaedic Surgeons' Perspective

Abstract

Acute traumatic spinal cord injury is a devastating condition affecting 17,700 new patients per year in the United States alone. Typically, orthopaedic surgeons focus on managing the acute surgical aspects of care (eg, surgical spinal decompression and stabilization). However, in the care of these patients, being familiar with how to prognosticate neurologic recovery and manage secondary complications is extremely important. In addition, as an integral part of the multidisciplinary care team, the surgeon should have an awareness of contemporary rehabilitation approaches to maximize function and facilitate reintegration into the community. The purpose of this review article is to provide a surgeon's perspective on these aspects of spinal cord injury care.

Spontaneous spinal cord infarction: a systematic review

“…Available studies emphasise the importance of managing secondary complications and an approach aiming to facilitate the individual’s reintegration into the community. 57 58 Ideally, rehabilitation should begin as soon as acute management allows, but delayed rehabilitation also promotes significant improvements and neurological recovery. 59 …”

Definitions of recovery and reintegration across the first year: A qualitative study of perspectives of persons with spinal cord injury and caregivers

“…The first 12 months post-injury (mpi) are exceptionally challenging and filled with many changes. Healthcare providers often discuss recovery from SCI in terms of neurologic recovery, with particular emphasis on prediction of motor and sensory recovery based on the International Standards for Neurologic Classification of SCI [ 1 , 2 ]. There is a growing body of literature describing priorities for recovery from the perspectives of people living with SCI, but the majority of those data are from individuals more than 12 mpi.…”