Changes of Functional Outcomes According to the Degree of Completeness of Spinal Cord Injury

This study looks at how the completeness of a spinal cord injury (SCI) affects a patient's recovery and ability to perform daily activities. The researchers used the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale (AIS) and somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) to assess the completeness of the injury. They then tracked the patients' progress using various functional indices like walking ability and balance to see if there was a connection.

• 1
  The study found that the recovery of walking ability and balance was significantly different between patients with complete and incomplete spinal cord injuries based on initial AIS and SEP assessments.
• 2
  Specifically, the Walking Index for Spinal Cord Injury (WISCI) and Berg Balance Scale (BBS) showed statistically significant differences between complete and incomplete impairments.
• 3
  The Spinal Cord Independence Measure (SCIM) and Modified Barthel Index (MBI) did not reveal significant differences related to the degree of completeness.