Kinesiotherapy Research Articles

EARLY MEDICAL REHABILITATION OF THE PATIENTS WITH SPINAL CORD INJURY

Background. Early medical rehabilitation (EMR) of the patients with spinal cord injury is discussed in this article. For successful rehabilitation adequate surgical treatment, which enables early verticalisation, is compulsory. Predictable respiratory, vascular, intestinal and urologic complications, contractures and bed sores are described and algorhytms of EMR in the period of spinal shock and after, until transferring the patient to the IRSR, are presented. Respiratory therapy, thromboprophylaxis, kinesiotherapy and functional electrical stimulation as well as the methods of early bladder and bowel control, contractures and bed sores prevention, as procedures of EMR are fully presented. With special importance early verticalisation from the 5th post operative day with help of the tilt table is presented as the key point of EMR. Conclusions. With aggressive EMR the paraplegic patient is able to gain erect posture from the 5th post operative day, sits in a wheel chair from 10th to 14th day and stands in the paralel bar from 15th day on.

Clinical application of bone metabolism markers to disuse bone atrophy

Mechanical stress on bone is one of the determinants of bone morphology, bone mineral density and bone strength. Therefore, disuse accelerates bone resorption, especially of cancellous bone, and consequently bone becomes atrophic and fragile. Osteocytes embedded in the bone matrix respond to mechanical load and changes of bone metabolism. The gapjunction of the long processes of osteocytes plays an important role in transmitting mechanical load through intracellular signal transmitters (cAMP, cGMP) and extracellular signal transmitters (PGE(2), IGF- I , IGF- II , TGF-beta) , to induce bone formation by osteoblasts and bone resorption by osteoclasts, or a combination of the two. Bone metabolism markers reflect activities of osteoblasts and osteoclasts, so they provide information on bone turnover and bone metabolism. Bone resorption markers characteristically increase and remain high during bed rest and disuse, whereas ambulation and exercise, as in kinesiotherapy, decrease bone resorption markers. As for treatments of disuse bone atrophy, from the bone metabolic and pharmacological viewpoint, anti-resorption agents are recommended to inhibit bone loss. Bisphosphonates which are strong anti-resorption agents, are expected to inhibit bone resorption. Calcitonin and vitamin K(2) which are also anti-resorption agents effectively, reduce bone loss due to disuse and bed rest.