An analysis of the effectiveness of rehabilitation protocols for patients with spinal cord injury: A systematic review

Abstract

Aim: SCI may cause loss of sensory function, paralysis, and limited functional mobility. The specificity of SCI has expanded the scope of medical trials and given rise to therapeutic options that incorporate new technologies with robotics and electronic devices. We aimed to identify various therapeutic options and develop effective treatment regimens. Methods: We conducted the systematic review using the following digital databases: MEDLINE/PubMed and Google Scholar. We focused on publications published between 2012 and 2023 and The following primary terms were searched: “Spinal cord injury rehabilitation,” “Spinal cord injury exercise,” and “Spinal cord injury therapy,” with the Boolean operator “AND/OR” used for additional searches. A total of 110 relevant articles were identified during the selection process. After screening and assessing eligibility, the final 17 studies were included in this systematic review Results & conclusion: The current paper gave a taxonomy of electrical instrumentation and traditional rehabilitation technologies. We also discovered that FES is used as a comprehensive regimen that involves both the upper and lower extremities, and that locomotor training using robots is beneficial in improving walking ability. We discovered that diversified training programs using conventional methods concentrated on the physical independence of patients with chronic SCI.