The Impact of COVID-19 on Rehabilitation Outcomes of Traumatic and Non-Traumatic Spinal 1 Cord Injury Patients: A Comparative Study Across Different Time Periods

Abstract

Abstract Background Spinal cord injury (SCI) SCI is a severe affliction that can have a profound impact on a person's ability to move and feel, affecting a significant number of individuals. However, Rehabilitation after SCI treatment remains a critical method to improve motor-sensory functions, which improves the patient's quality of life. Objective This study aims to describe the epidemiological profile of SCI in a period of pandemic COVID-19 and without COVID-19 in China, Hubei province, Wuhan city. Design A retrospective hospital-based study. Setting Rehabilitation department of Wuhan’s Tongji Hospital. Participants People who had been diagnosed with a SCI and admitted to the Rehabilitation department of Wuhan Tongji Hospital between January 2019 and May 2023 were examined retrospectively. Interventions Not applicable. Outcome measures: Epidemiological features such as gender, age, marital status, Mechanism of spinal cord injury, work, neurological level of injury, and the American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale on admission, hospitalization, and COVID-19, non-COVID-19 SCI patientswere collected. Results The medical histories of 93 patients who were diagnosed with SCI. Forty patients with SCI from the non-COVID-19 period while 53 patients from the COVID-19 period with a mean age of 38.80±17.71 and 44.53±13.27 years, respectively, were identified. In both SCI periods male/female ratio was 2:1. The most mechanism of injury (MOI) was fall (50%) in non-COVID-19, and 37.74% in the COVID-19 period. The most common initial ASIA grade was B in non-COVID-19 and grade C in COVID-19. As well as final ASIA after treatment was grade C in non-COVID-19 and grade D in COVID-19. conclusion SCI is more prevalent in males, and the leading causes of this condition are falls and road traffic accidents. This research suggests that workers are the group most susceptible to SCI, and preventive measures should be tailored to the specific characteristics of SCI patients and this study emphasizes the significance of SCI rehabilitation.