title: Motor and sensory recovery following incomplete tetraplegia.
abstract: Fifty individuals with incomplete tetraplegia due to trauma underwent serial prospective examinations to quantify motor and sensory recovery. None of 5 patients who were motor complete with the presence of sacral (S4-S5) sharp/dull touch sensation unilaterally recovered any lower extremity motor function. However, in 8 motor complete subjects having bilateral sacral sharp/dull sensation present, the mean lower extremity motor score increased to 12.1 +/- 7.8 at 1 year. In 3 of the 8 cases, functional (> or = 3/5) recovery was seen in some muscles at 1 year. Though mean upper and lower extremity ASIA Motor Scores increased significantly (p < .001) between 1 month and 1 year for the entire sample, the annualized rate of motor recovery rapidly declined in the first 6 months and then subsequently approached plateau. Eighty-seven percent (20 of 23) of patients having a lower extremity motor score > or = 10 at 1 month were community ambulators using crutches and orthoses at 1 year follow-up.
authors.affiliation: Regional Spinal Cord Injury Care System of Southern California, Rancho Los Amigos Medical Center, Downey 90242.
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Waters
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Adkins
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Yakura
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sie
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003446:Crutches; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005684:Gait; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009048:Motor Skills; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D009989:Orthotic Devices; D011782:Quadriplegia / Q000145:classification / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D012677:Sensation; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors; D014110:Touch; D016896:Treatment Outcome