Quality Of Life In Spinal Cord Injury Patients Before And After Exercise Intervention

More than 1 million people are living with a spinal cord injury (SCI) in the United States alone. Research suggests improvement in daily function as well as biochemical markers in SCI patients who participate in regular exercise. There is limited data on the specific impact of exercise as it pertains to Quality of Life (QOL), complications or general sense of wellbeing. PURPOSE: To obtain objective QOL data using validated SCI questionnaire instruments before and after exercises intervention done at the Claremont Club Perfect Step Program. METHODS: The Claremont Club Perfect Step is a fitness facility that has been providing structured exercise programs for patients with SCI for 10 years. We completed a survey of 41 patients regarding their QOL before and after entering this program. The survey questions were drawn from a validated Spinal Cord Injury—Quality of Life (SCI-QOL) survey. A matched-pair t test was used to compare the 6-month answers to the baseline measures of QOL. RESULTS: Patients with spinal cord injuries who participated in this program reported statistically significant improvements in 83 of 92 survey categories, including improved mental health, reduced complications and fewer or lower doses of medication. With the QOL scores ranging from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest), the average score increased by 0.72 (18.8%), from 3.82 to 4.54. Measures of mood, energy and confidence significantly improved. Measures of depression reduced. Measures of pain and pain interference on social and work life significantly decreased. Lastly, bladder accidents or disruption of daily life due to bladder incontinence significantly improved. There was also a trend toward reduced urinary tract infections as well as reduced pressure sores or pressure injuries. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSIONS: The depth, breadth, and magnitude in improved QOL scores is impressive. These results indicate that exercise intervention for patients with SCI should be not be the last step, once traditional medical care has been exhausted, but an early intervention to maximize QOL and potentially reduce complications from SCI. Although structured exercise has often fallen outside the scope of traditional medical care for patients who experience SCI, it should be considered a first-line treatment that appears to be relatively safe and highly effective.