Use of prolonged standing for individuals with spinal cord injuries.
OBJECTIVE
Prolonged standing in people with spinal cord injuries (SCIs) has the potential to affect a number of health-related areas such as reflex activity, joint range of motion, or well-being. The purpose of this study was to document the patterns of use of prolonged standing and their perceived effects in subjects with SCIs.


METHODS
The subjects were 152 adults with SCIs (103 male, 49 female; mean age=34 years, SD=8, range=18-55) who returned mailed survey questionnaires.


METHODS
A 17-item self-report survey questionnaire was sent to the 463 members of a provincial spinal cord support organization.


RESULTS
Survey responses for 26 of the 152 respondents were eliminated from the analysis because they had minimal effects from 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 perceived benefits included improvements in several health-related areas such as well-being, circulation, skin integrity, reflex activity, bowel and bladder function, digestion, sleep, pain, and fatigue. The most common reason that prevented the respondents from standing was the cost of equipment to enable standing.


CONCLUSIONS
Considering the many reported benefits of standing, this activity may be useful for people with SCI. This study identified a number of body systems and functions that may need to be investigated if clinical trials of prolonged standing in people with SCI are undertaken.
Eng
J J
JJ
School of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of British Columbia, T325-2211 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 2B5.janicee@interchange.ubc.ca
Levins
S M
SM
Townson
A F
AF
Mah-Jones
D
D
Bremner
J
J
Huston
G
G
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001955:British Columbia; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities / Q000191:economics / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D011187:Posture; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000145:classification / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome