A Prospective Study on Physical Activity Levels After Spinal Cord Injury During Inpatient Rehabilitation and the Year After Discharge

A flowchart of participants.

A subject wearing the activity monitor.

(A) The change over time in the duration of dynamic activities (as percentage of a 24h period) as estimated with the basic multilevel regression model. The dynamic activities are a composite measure (consisting of the separately detected activities walking [including running and walking stairs], manual wheelchair driving [including hand biking], cycling, general noncyclic movement) as a percentage of a 24-hour period. The duration of dynamic activities at T3 was significantly different (indicated with asterisks) from T1 (P<.001) and from T4 (P<.001). The duration of dynamic activities at T3 did not differ significantly from T2 (P=.15) and T5 (P=.26). (B) The change over time in average body motility (g) as estimated with the basic multilevel regression model. The average body motility represents both the duration and intensity of everyday physical activity (1 g=9.81 m/s²). This parameter was calculated in persons who were completely dependent on a manual wheelchair (n=29). The average body motility at T3 was significantly different (indicated with asterisk) from T1 (P=.008). The average body motility at T3 did not differ significantly from T2 (P=.22), T4 (P=.07), and T5 (P=.09).

The mean duration of dynamic activities, as a percentage of a 24-hour period, as measured with the activity monitor in able-bodied persons and in persons with different chronic diseases. *CRPS-1: complex regional pain syndrome type 1. Healthy subjects, CRPS-1,⁴⁸ hemiplegic cerebral palsy,⁴⁹ chronic benign pain,³¹ chronic heart failure,²⁸ meningomyelocele,²⁹ leg amputation,³⁰ SCI: current study.