Changes in bowel function following exoskeletal-assisted walking in persons with spinal cord injury: an observational pilot study
Prospective, observational study. To explore the effects of exoskeletal-assisted walking (EAW) on bowel function in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI). Ambulatory research facility located in a tertiary care hospital. Individuals 18-65 years of age, with thoracic vertebrae one (T1) to T11 motor-c...
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Published in | Spinal cord Vol. 58; no. 4; pp. 459 - 466 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
England
Nature Publishing Group
01.04.2020
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Prospective, observational study.
To explore the effects of exoskeletal-assisted walking (EAW) on bowel function in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI).
Ambulatory research facility located in a tertiary care hospital.
Individuals 18-65 years of age, with thoracic vertebrae one (T1) to T11 motor-complete paraplegia of at least 12 months duration were enrolled. Pre- and post-EAW training, participants were asked to report on various aspects of their bowel function as well as on their overall quality of life (QOL) as related to their bowel function.
Ten participants completed 25-63 sessions of EAW over a period of 12-14 weeks, one participant was lost to follow up due to early withdrawal after ten sessions. Due to the small sample size, each participant's results were presented descriptively in a case series format. At least 5/10 participants reported improvements with frequency of bowel evacuations, less time spent on bowel management per bowel day, fewer bowel accidents per month, reduced laxative and/or stool softener use, and improved overall satisfaction with their bowel program post-EAW training. Furthermore, 8/10 reported improved stool consistency and 7/10 reported improved bowel function related QOL. One participant reported worsening of bowel function post-EAW.
Between 50 and 80% of the participants studied reported improvements in bowel function and/or management post-EAW training. EAW training appeared to mitigate SCI-related bowel dysfunction and the potential benefits of EAW on bowel function after SCI is worthy or further study. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 ObjectType-Undefined-3 SKn: Planning and conducting the study. Collecting data. WAB: Planning and conducting the study. Drafting of the manuscript. All authors listed above have approved the final draft submitted and have nothing to disclose. Author Contributions and Disclosures MAK: Planning and conducting the study. Drafting of the manuscript. AC: Data analysis. Interpretation of the data. Drafting of the manuscript. SKo: Planning and conducting the study. Collecting data. VH: Drafting of the manuscript. AMS: Planning and conducting the study. Data analysis. Interpretation of data. Drafting of the manuscript. PKA: Planning and conducting the study. Collecting data. NYH: Conducting study. Drafting of the manuscript. |
ISSN: | 1362-4393 1476-5624 1476-5624 |
DOI: | 10.1038/s41393-019-0392-z |