Honeycutt J, Aldridge RL; Arkansas State University, Jonesboro Arkansas. raldridge@state.edu.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of physical rehabilitation (this includes physical, occupational, or recreational therapy) in patients with SCI post-tendon transfer. SUBJECTS: Four subjects with SCI post-tendon transfer was used in this study. This study included both men and women ages 18 and older with a SCI of C5-C7. The exclusion criterion was a SCI above C5 or below C7. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Subjects were mailed a survey that pertained to the effectiveness of their rehabilitation. The surveys were mailed to the Spinal Cord Commission or a physical therapist. The Spinal Cord Commission or the physical therapist then sent the survey to the subjects so that patient privacy was protected. The surveys were then coded in a manner that only the Spinal Cord Commission and the physical therapist knew which respondent answered the survey. This was done so that the examiner could determine which surveys had been returned. If a certain coded survey had not been returned within three weeks, the examiner then asked the Spinal Cord Commission or the therapist to send that subject another survey. Included with the survey the subject was also mailed a packet containing a self addressed stamped envelope. The envelope was addressed to the examiner for a faster return rate. ANALYSES: The survey contained close-ended questions so that each response could be coded and stored in a database using Statistic Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The frequency and percentages for each question were tabulated. Cross tabulation by age, patient satisfaction, patient compliance in the home exercise program, types of therapy, frequency of therapy, types of spinal cord lesions, and the treatment received was used to explore any conditions under which functional outcomes were affected. A Wilcoxon signed ranks test was used to test the null hypothesis. RESULTS: The null hypothesis was retained in this study. The null hypothesis stated that the inclusion of therapy did not affect the functional outcome in subjects with spinal cord injuries after tendon transfer. It is possible that a type II error may have occurred due to the low number of respondents in this study. CONCLUSIONS: Though the null was retained in this study, patients that returned this survey indicated improvements in functional ADL’S after receiving physical rehabilitation post procedure FUNDING SOURCE: None.

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