Course Description:

Acute medical management of people with spinal cord injury (SCI) focuses on minimizing further neurological damage to the spinal cord and optimizing recovery. The first section of this CEU course outlines the principles of physiotherapy rehabilitation for people with SCI and the evidence underpinning the effectiveness of commonly used physiotherapy interventions. Here we will delve deeper into specific interventions directed at gaining strength, contracture prevention and management, the improvement of motor tasks, and future directions for physical therapy treatment options. The next section of this course provides a basic understanding of the causes and identification of the main principles of the respiratory management in traumatic SCI. We will also identify strategies required to maintain pulmonary health for the acute stage of treatment and the use of mechanical ventilation and life expectancy in cervical SCI patients. Finally, we will explore the effects of adding behavioral interventions to physical activity. This section revolves around 45 patients in a subacute rehabilitation setting dependent on a manual wheelchair who underwent 13 sessions of motivational interviewing during and after discharge. The reading materials for this course include articles from the Journal of Physiotherapy and the Journal of The Spine.