Novel approaches in rehabilitation of people with SCI

Javad Minaei Javid¹, Hooshang Saberi², Amir Hassan Kohan³, Samaneh Alimohammad⁴

¹ Occupational Therapist BSc, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation

² Neurosurgeon, Associated Professor, Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Repair Research Center: Tehran University of Medical Science

³ Occupational Therapist MSc, Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Repair Research Center: Tehran University of Medical Science; Corresponding author: [e-mail] ; Cell phone: [phone]

⁴ Occupational Therapist BSc, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation  

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   Rehabilitation of the client with a spinal cord injury (SCI) is a lifelong process that requires readjustment to nearly every aspect of life. Occupational therapists play a significant role in physical and psychosocial restoration and help the client achieve maximal independence. Figures for the annual incidence of SCI are inaccurate and may vary according to the source. Often patients with spinal cord injury are unable to perform motor tasks because they lack skill. That is, they do not know how to move optimally with their newly acquired paralysis. “Motor learning”(or recovery of function) that focuses on acquisition and/or modification of movement  primarily developed for the physical rehabilitation of patients with stroke and brain impairments. Two key theories which have influenced neurological rehabilitation are ‘motorschema theory’ and ‘staging of motor learning theory’ that are the main subdivisions of motor learning theory. These theories have primarily evolved from research with able-bodied individuals and athletes, but arguably are equally applicable to patients with spinal cord injury. They are important because they help explain how patients with spinal cord injury learn motor tasks and how therapists can best facilitate the learning process. In this study 10 clients with SCI were educated for one motor skill based on these theories and the results reveal that these novel approaches may also be applied for SCI. 

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