Use of prolonged standing for individuals with spinal cord injuries

Background and Purpose. Prolonged standing in people with spinal cord injur ies (SCIs) has the potential to affect a number of health-related areas suc h as reflex activity, joint range of motion, or wellbeing. The purpose Of t his study was to document the patterns Of use of prolonged standing and the ir perceived effects in subjects with SCIs. Subjects. The subjects were 152 adults with SCIs (103 male, 49 female; mean age=34 years, SD=8, range=18-5 5) who returned mailed survey questionnaires. Methods. A 17-item self-repor t Survey questionnaire was sent to the 463 members of a provincial spinal c ord support organization. Results. Survey responses for 26 of the 152 respo ndents were eliminated from the analysis because they had minimal effects f rom their injuries and did not need prolonged standing as an extra activity . Of the 126 remaining respondents, 38 respondents (30%) reported that they engaged in prolonged Standing for an average of 40 minutes per session, 3 to 4 times a week, as a method to improve or maintain their health. The per ceived benefits included improvements in several health-related areas Such as well-being, circulation, skin integrity, reflex activity, bowel and blad der function, digestion, sleep, pain, and fatigue. The most common reason t hat prevented the respondents from standing was the cost of equipment to en able standing. Discussion and Conclusion. Considering the many reported ben efits of standing this activity may be useful for people With SCI. This stu dy identified a number of body systems and functions that ilia), need to be investigated if clinical trials of prolonged standing in people with SCI a re undertaken.