Abstract
Objective
To compare the efficacy of a regimen combining mental practice (MP) with overground
training (OT) with the efficacy of a regimen consisting of OT only on gait velocity
and lower extremity motor outcomes in individuals with chronic (>12mo postinjury),
incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI).
Design
Randomized, controlled, single-blinded study.
Setting
Outpatient rehabilitation laboratories.
Participants
Subjects with chronic, incomplete SCI (N=18).
Interventions
Subjects were randomly assigned to receive (1) OT only, occurring 3d/wk for 8 weeks;
or (2) OT augmented by MP (MP + OT), during which randomly assigned subjects listened
to an MP audio recording directly after OT sessions.
Main Outcome Measures
Subjects were administered a test of gait velocity as well as the Tinetti Performance
Oriented Mobility Assessment, Spinal Cord Injury Independence Measure, and Satisfaction
With Life Scale on 2 occasions before intervention, 1 week after intervention, and
12 weeks after intervention.
Results
A significant increase in gait velocity was exhibited across subjects at both 1 week
posttherapy (P=.005) and at 12 weeks posttherapy (P=.006). However, no differences were seen in intervention response at either 1 or
12 weeks postintervention among subjects in the MP + OT group versus the OT-only group.
Conclusions
OT was associated with significant gains in gait velocity, and these gains were not
augmented by further addition of MP.
Keywords
List of abbreviations:
CI (confidence interval), MP (mental practice), OT (overground training), POMA (Tinetti Performance Oriented Mobility Assessment), SCI (spinal cord injury), SCIM (Spinal Cord Injury Independence Measure), SWLS (Satisfaction With Life Scale)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: December 16, 2013
Footnotes
Supported by the National Institutes of Health (grant no. 1R21AT003842-01A2).
No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has conferred or will confer a benefit on the authors or on any organization with which the authors are associated.
Identification
Copyright
© 2014 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
