OUTDOOR WINTER ACTIVITIES OF SPINAL CORD-INJURED PATIENTS - WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO OUTDOOR MOBILITY

Two hundred forty-seven patients with spinal cord injuries living in H okkaido, the northern part of Japan, were mailed a questionnaire relat ing to winter outdoor activities. One hundred eight patients responded to the questionnaire, 98 males and 10 females, with ages ranging from 30 to 79 (mean, 53.3) yr. Injury levels of patients were: cervical in 23 patients, thoracic and thoracolumbar in 47, and lumbar in 38. All respondents were unable to walk independently because of quadriplegia or paraplegia. Approximately 90 percent of respondents found it necess ary to go outside during the winter season. Eighty-five percent were o utside during the coldest period. The most common reasons for outdoor activities were shopping and routine doctor's appointments. The main m ethod of ambulating outside was a manual and/or electrically operated wheelchair, sometimes in conjunction with an automobile. However, ther e were many problems reported in using wheelchairs; for example, wheel s and casters were very slippery on the snow and ice, casters were eas ily buried in the snow, and wheelchair rims were very cold to handle. It was also pointed out that exposure to cold weather induced physical problems such as muscle spasticity, pain, and numbness of lower extre mities. This survey revealed that spinal cord-injured patients would b enefit from a wheelchair specifically designed for winter conditions.