Early and intensive Motor Training for people with spinal cord injuries (the SCI-MT Trial): description of the intervention

Spinal Cord, 2023 · DOI: 10.1038/s41393-023-00911-4 · Published: July 19, 2023

Spinal Cord Injury Neurology Rehabilitation

Simple Explanation

This paper describes the details of a complex intervention administered as part of a large randomised controlled trial. The most promising treatment for maximising recovery is Motor Training. Motor Training is a complex intervention that needs to be individualised for each person according to their impairments, abilities, and goals.

Study Duration

10 weeks

Participants

220 participants with recent SCI and preservation of motor function below the level of injury

Evidence Level

Descriptive

Key Findings

1
A detailed intervention manual has been developed to help standardise the delivery of the intervention.
2
The SCI-MT Trial intervention will be provided in a high dosage. Dosage is determined by a combination of exercise intensity, duration, and frequency.
3
Task-speciﬁc training requires repetitious practice of purposeful movements.

Research Summary

This paper describes the details of a complex intervention administered as part of a large randomised controlled trial. It will facilitate the subsequent interpretation of the trial results and enable the intervention to be reproduced in clinical practice and future trials. The trial addresses an important question. That is, does intensive Motor Training provided soon after injury promote neurological recovery and improve function?

Practical Implications

Standardized Motor Training

The detailed intervention manual facilitates standardized delivery of motor training in clinical practice and future trials.

High-Dosage Intervention

The study highlights the importance of high-dosage motor training, emphasizing intensity, duration, and frequency for SCI rehabilitation.

Task-Specific Training

The emphasis on task-specific training with repetitious practice provides a framework for improving functional outcomes.

Study Limitations

1
The paper acknowledges that one short paper cannot substitute for undergraduate, postgraduate, and clinical training in the physiotherapy management of people with SCI.
2
There is a risk that people with recent SCI will not tolerate 12 h of additional therapy each week so soon after injury, or they will not receive this amount of therapy for other unforeseen reasons.
3
The trial is pragmatic and needs to test the effectiveness of an intervention as it would typically be administered in the clinical setting.

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