Article

OBJECTIVE: Explore and describe experiences and perceptions of falls, risk of
falling, and fall-related consequences in individuals with incomplete spinal cord
injury (SCI) who are still walking. DESIGN:
A qualitative interview study
applying interpretive content analysis with an inductive approach. SETTING:
Specialized rehabilitation hospital. SUBJECTS: A purposeful sample of 15
individuals (10 men), 23 to 78 years old, 2-34 years post injury with chronic
incomplete traumatic SCI, and walking 75% of time for mobility needs. METHODS:
Individual, semi-structured face-to-face interviews were recorded, condensed, and
coded to find themes and subthemes. RESULTS: One overarching theme was revealed:
"Falling challenges identity and self-image as normal" which comprised two main
themes "Walking with incomplete SCI involves minimizing fall risk and
fall-related concerns without compromising identity as normal" and "Walking with
incomplete SCI implies willingness to increase fall risk in order to maintain
identity as normal". Informants were aware of their increased fall risk and took
precautions, but willingly exposed themselves to risky situations when important
to self-identity. All informants expressed some conditional fall-related
concerns, and a few experienced concerns limiting activity and participation.
CONCLUSION: Ambulatory individuals with incomplete SCI considered falls to be a
part of life. However, falls interfered with the informants' identities and
self-images as normal, healthy, and well-functioning. A few expressed
dysfunctional concerns about falling, and interventions should target these.

Langue : ANGLAIS