Can the Initial Parameters of Functional Scales Predict Recovery in Patients with Complete Spinal Cord Injury? A Retrospective Cohort Study

This study aimed to identify factors that predict how much patients with complete spinal cord injuries (SCI) can improve during early rehabilitation. The focus was on analyzing functional scales like the AIS, Barthel Index, and SCIM. The study found that patients who had better motor scores (MS) on the AIS at the beginning of rehabilitation tended to show greater improvement in their Barthel Index (BI) and SCIM scores during rehabilitation. This suggests that initial motor function is a key predictor of functional improvement. The length of time between the spinal cord injury and the start of rehabilitation also mattered. Patients who started rehabilitation sooner after their injury tended to have better improvements in their Barthel Index scores.

• 1
  Higher initial motor scores (MS) on the AIS correlated with greater increases in the Barthel Index (BI) and SCIM scores during early neurological rehabilitation (ENR).
• 2
  Longer stays in an acute phase treatment center (time from SCI to ENR initiation) correlated negatively with Barthel Index (BI) increases.
• 3
  A lower level of SCI correlated with greater BI increases; patients with lower levels of SCI achieved higher BI values during ENR.