Abstract
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of pelvic exercise on standing balance in patients with incomplete cervical spinal cord injury for healthy rehabilitation. 11 patients (8 men and 3 women) with levels of incomplete injury between cervical 3 and cervical 6 who were participated in a study measuring the standing balance using an interactive balance system (IBS) before and after pelvic exercise. The index of standing balance after pelvic exercise was significantly lower than before exercise in patients with incomplete cervical cord injury. The greatest improvements were observed in incomplete cervical spinal cord injury with neurologic levels of cervical 3 and 4 with Brown-Sequard syndrome. These results suggest that the pelvic exercise for rehabilitation significantly improved in part standing balance in patients with incomplete cervical spinal cord injury.
Highlights
Patients with injury of central nervous system such as brain and spinal cord commonly suffer from significant impairments including paralysis, loss of voluntary motor control, and muscle atrophy [1,2,3]
This study examined the relationship between pelvic exercise and standing balance in patients with incomplete cervical spinal cord injury (SCI)
We showed that pelvic exercise promoted an improvement in standing balance in these patients
Summary
Patients with injury of central nervous system such as brain and spinal cord commonly suffer from significant impairments including paralysis, loss of voluntary motor control, and muscle atrophy [1,2,3]. Improvements in emergency medical management of spinal cord injury (SCI) patients has led to a higher proportion of patients presenting with incomplete rather than complete neurologic injuries when compared with past statistics [4]. Trauma to the spinal cord is a devastating injury that often results in loss of sensation and voluntary activity below the level of the injury [6]. Incomplete SCI frequently disrupts the afferent and efferent neural pathways involved in co-requisite voluntary and involuntary muscle activation, which are needed for functional standing and walking [7]. Balance is an important problem for a majority of ambulatory patients with incomplete SCI. The importance of the hip muscle has recently been recognized for its role in improvement of static postural stability [11]
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