Addressing bladder and bowel challenges in dutch multiple sclerosis patients: Symptom prevalence and patient referral pathways.

Objectives: Nerve damage and/or spinal cord injury in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) may result in the development of bladder and bowel problems. We wanted to gain insight into two issues: the prevalence of bladder and bowel problems among individuals with MS and the referral pathways for these problems to various physicians treating patients with MS.

Methods: In the autumn of 2021, we undertook a nationwide cross-sectional study.

Effective bowel management in spinal cord injury during inpatient rehabilitation: data from the Dutch spinal cord injury database.

Study Design: Retrospective Observational Study.

Objectives: To describe bowel management in individuals with a recently acquired spinal cord injury (SCI) both at admittance and discharge from first inpatient rehabilitation, and to determine factors that contribute to effective bowel management (EBM) at discharge.

Setting: Specialized rehabilitation centers in the Netherlands.

Faecal Microbiota in Patients with Neurogenic Bowel Dysfunction and Spinal Cord Injury or Multiple Sclerosis-A Systematic Review.

Background: Neurogenic bowel dysfunction (NBD) frequently occurs in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) and multiple sclerosis (MS) with comparable symptoms and is often difficult to treat. It has been suggested the gut microbiota might influence the course of NBD. We systematically reviewed the literature on the composition of the gut microbiota in SCI and MS, and the possible role of neurogenic bowel function, diet and antibiotic use.

Cardiorespiratory fitness and physical strain during prosthetic rehabilitation after lower limb amputation.

Background: Sufficient cardiorespiratory fitness has been regarded a prerequisite for prosthetic walking. In order to improve cardiorespiratory fitness, adequate strain ought to be placed on the system during training.

Objectives: To determine cardiorespiratory fitness at the start and end of inpatient rehabilitation after lower limb amputation and determine the physical strain experienced during conventional prosthetic rehabilitation.

Exoskeleton gait training after spinal cord injury: An exploratory study on secondary health conditions.

Objective: To explore changes in pain, spasticity, range of motion, activities of daily living, bowel and lower urinary tract function and quality of life of individuals with spinal cord injury following robotic exoskeleton gait training.

Design: Prospective, observational, open-label multicentre study.

Methods: Three training sessions per week for 8 weeks using an Ekso™ GT robotic exoskeleton (EKSO Bionics).

Functional independence of persons with long-standing motor complete spinal cord injury in the Netherlands.

Since life expectancy of persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) has improved, it is relevant to know whether this group is able to maintain functional abilities many years after onset of SCI. Objectives of this study were (1) to examine associations between time since injury (TSI) and functional independence in persons with long-standing SCI and (2) to explore associations between functional independence and level of injury, comorbidities, mental health, waist circumference and secondary health conditions (SHCs). TSI-stratified cross-sectional study.

Progress of the Dutch Spinal Cord Injury Database: Completeness of Database and Profile of Patients Admitted for Inpatient Rehabilitation in 2015.

In the Dutch International Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Data Sets project, we translated all International SCI Data Sets available in 2012 and created a Dutch SCI Database (NDD). To describe the number of included patients and completeness of the NDD, and to use the NDD to provide a profile of people with traumatic SCI (T-SCI) and non-traumatic SCI (NT-SCI) in the Netherlands. The NDD includes patients admitted for their first inpatient rehabilitation after onset of SCI to 1 of the 8 rehabilitation centers with a specialty in SCI rehabilitation in the Netherlands.

Gait training after spinal cord injury: safety, feasibility and gait function following 8 weeks of training with the exoskeletons from Ekso Bionics.

Study Design: Prospective quasi-experimental study, pre- and post-design.

Objectives: Assess safety, feasibility, training characteristics and changes in gait function for persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) using the robotic exoskeletons from Ekso Bionics.

Setting: Nine European rehabilitation centres.

Low-intensity wheelchair training in inactive people with long-term spinal cord injury: A randomized controlled trial on fitness, wheelchair skill performance and physical activity levels.

Objective: To investigate the effects of low-intensity wheelchair training on wheelchair-specific fitness, wheelchair skill performance and physical activity levels in inactive people with long-term spinal cord injury.

Design: Randomized controlled trial.

Participants: Inactive manual wheelchair users with spinal cord injury for at least 10 years (n = 29), allocated to exercise (n = 14) or no exercise.

Bladder-emptying methods, neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction and impact on quality of life in people with long-term spinal cord injury.

Objectives: To describe bladder-emptying methods used by people with long-term spinal cord injury (SCI) and to determine usage differences in relation to time since injury, sex, lesion level and completeness of lesion. Furthermore, to evaluate the relationship between bladder-emptying methods and the impact of neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction (NLUTD) on quality of life (QoL).

Design: Cross-sectional multicenter study.

Trajectories in the course of body mass index after spinal cord injury.

Objective: To identify different trajectories of the course of body mass index (BMI) after spinal cord injury (SCI) and to study whether other cardiovascular risk factors (blood pressure, lipid profile) follow the same trajectories.

Design: Multicenter prospective cohort study with measurements at the start of active rehabilitation, after 3 months, at discharge, and 1 and 5 years after discharge.

Setting: Rehabilitation centers.

Wheelchair exercise capacity in spinal cord injury up to five years after discharge from inpatient rehabilitation.

Objective: To elucidate the course and determinants of wheelchair exercise capacity in spinal cord injury up to 5 years after discharge from inpatient rehabilitation, and to describe loss to follow-up.

Design: Prospective cohort study, with measurements at the start and discharge from inpatient rehabilitation, 1 and 5 years after discharge.

Subjects: A total of 225 wheelchair-dependent persons with spinal cord injury.

Relation between aerobic capacity and walking ability in older adults with a lower-limb amputation.

Objectives: To determine the relative aerobic load, walking speed, and walking economy of older adults with a lower-limb prosthesis, and to predict the effect of an increased aerobic capacity on their walking ability.

Design: Cross-sectional.

Setting: Human motion laboratory at a rehabilitation center.

Peak oxygen consumption in older adults with a lower limb amputation.

Objective: To investigate whether the aerobic capacity of older adults who underwent a lower limb amputation is associated with the presence, cause (traumatic or vascular), and level of amputation (transtibial or transfemoral).

Design: Cross-sectional descriptive.

Setting: Human motion laboratory at a rehabilitation center.

Return to work five years after spinal cord injury inpatient rehabilitation: is it related to wheelchair capacity at discharge?

Objective: To describe the proportion of people with spinal cord injury who returned to work 5 years after discharge from inpatient rehabilitation, and to investigate whether return to work is related to wheelchair capacity at discharge from inpatient rehabilitation.

Design: Multi-centre prospective cohort study.

Subjects: A total of 103 participants with acute spinal cord injury at 8 Dutch rehabilitation centres, specialized in the rehabilitation of spinal cord injury.