Sports, recreation and employment following spinal cord injury - a pilot study

Study design: A pilot postal survey. Objective: To examine the levels of sporting/recreational activities, educa tion and employment in people with spinal cord injury (SCI) and to assess i f involvement in sport and recreation is associated with higher levels of e ducation and employment. Setting: National Spinal Injuries Centre (NSIC), Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Aylesbury, UK. Methods: Forty-live subjects, who met the following criteria: SCI at level C5 or below, wheelchair dependent, aged between Is and 50 at the time of in jury, injured at least 10 years ago, admitted to the NSIC within 6 months o f injury and resident in the UK, completed a 26-item postal questionnaire. Results: Among the 45 subjects 47% participated in physical activities (20% in sport; 27% in recreation), 33% were employed (29% full-time) and 18.5% had undergone further education at the time of the survey. Participation in sports as well as employment status decreased after injury (P < 0.01) usua lly as a result of poor access to sports and work facilities. Only 4% of in vestigated SCI patients started to practise physical activity after the acc ident whilst 42% stopped. Conclusions: Levels of sporting/recreational activities and employment decr eased significantly after injury. No significant correlation was found betw een sport/recreation involvement and education/employment status. Further i nvestigation with a large number of participants that will enable additiona l analysis of subgroups, such as level of injury and functional independenc e, is required. Sponsorship: The study was partly funded by the British Council.