Wheelchair mountaineering.
Survival training in the wilderness has proven effective with able-bodied populations in building self-esteem, self-assertion, sense of competence, and leadership. Wheelchair sports has been shown to be an important modality for patients with spinal cord injury. This report discusses a paraplegic man who succeeded, together with two other wheelchair-bound persons, in climbing an 8751-foot mountain. The patient's reactions to this achievement support the theory that personal-mastery accomplishments build the individual's sense of self-efficacy. Wheelchair mountaineering is suggested as a potential valuable tool in the long-term physical and emotional rehabilitation of selected individuals.
D000328:Adult; D004644:Emotions; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009051:Mountaineering; D010264:Paraplegia / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D014910:Wheelchairs