Assessment of Functional Independence in different levels of traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) patients of Pakistani Population; A Cross-Sectional Survey

Abstract

Spinal Cord injury (SCI) is a serious public health problem as it not only causes serious functional impairment in the individual but also affects the family and social circle of the patient. The main objective of the study was to investigate the level of functional independence in different levels of SCI patients in Pakistani population. We hypothesized that different levels of SCI experience different levels of functional independence. Methods: An exploratory cross-sectional survey was designed, and data was collected from Lahore General Hospital, Ghurki Hospital, and Jinnah Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan. 52 patients suffering from acute spinal cord injury were enrolled in study by using convenient sampling technique. Overall health status of patients was measured using functional independence measure (FIM) tool.  Results: Total 52 patients were assessed in this study. Out of which 50% injuries were reported at cervical level, 15% injuries were reported at thoracic level and 34% were reported at lumbar level.  Percentage of males suffering from SCI (62%) was higher than female (38%). The lowest functional independence level was recorded for cervical injury (FIM score: 40), moderate for thoracic injury (FIM score: 84) and maximum for lumbar injury (FIM score: 102). Conclusion: Within the studied population, the percentage of cervical injuries was more than thoracic and lumbar. Gender proportion in traumatic spinal cord injury showed that men were more prone to injury as compared to female. However, functional independence was associated with level of SCI injury as cervical injuries patients were least independent while lumbar injury patients had high functional independence.