Applications of complementary therapies during rehabilitation for individuals with traumatic Spinal Cord Injury: Findings from the SCIRehab Project

Abstract

Objective: Evaluate the use of complementary therapies during rehabilitation for patients with traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI).

Design: Secondary analyses were conducted to identify the use and associated outcomes of complementary therapies provided by occupational therapists (OTs) and physical therapists (PTs) during rehabilitation from a public dataset.

Setting: Inpatient rehabilitation.

Participants: A public dataset composed of 1376 patients with SCI that were enrolled in a five-year, multi-center investigation, the SCIRehab Project. Secondary analyses focused on a subset of 93 patients (47 who received complementary therapy during treatment and 46 case-matched controls who received no complementary therapy).

Interventions: OTs and PTs recorded use of complementary therapies during sessions, including yoga, Pilates, tai chi, aromatherapy, relaxation techniques, imagery and other.

Outcome Measures: Pain interference, pain severity, mobility, and social integration.

Results: Three percent of participants received any complementary therapies. Patients who received complementary therapies showed greater reductions in pain severity from 6 months to 12 months relative to matched controls. Furthermore, the amount of time that patients received complementary therapies during physical therapy sessions was associated with reduced pain interference at 6 months and with reduced pain severity at the 6-month and 12-month follow-ups. Complementary therapy use was not associated with mobility or social integration.

Conclusion: The current study provides preliminary evidence documenting the limited use of complementary therapies in rehabilitation settings and highlights the opportunity for further research, particularly regarding pain-related outcomes.

Keywords:

• Complementary Therapies
• Spinal Cord Injuries
• Rehabilitation
• Physical Therapy
• Occupational Therapy

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Northwestern for their focus on developing knowledge of integrative medicine for clinicians, researchers and the public. Additionally, we thank Judith T. Moskowitz, PhD, MPH for her support of the initial phases of this analysis.

ORCID

Sally M. Taylor http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0192-1947

Elaine Cheung http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5083-4252

Ruichen Sun http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9604-6473

Veronika Grote http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8383-6097

Elizabeth Addington http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5839-5485