Predicting walking at discharge from inpatient rehabilitation after a traumatic spinal cord injury.

Objective: To investigate how injury level and American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) grade at rehabilitation admission are related to walking at discharge after traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI).

Design: Retrospective study.

Setting: Comprehensive rehabilitation hospital.

Participants: A total of 343 adult inpatients with traumatic SCI.

Interventions: Not applicable.

Main Outcome Measure: FIM instrument walking rating of 3 (moderate assistance) or higher at discharge.

Results: Significantly more subjects admitted with AIS grade C (28.3%) than AIS grade A or B injuries (0.9%) walked at discharge. Significantly more subjects admitted with AIS grade D (67.2%) than AIS grade C (28.3%) injuries walked at discharge. Level of injury did not significantly affect walking after AIS grade C or D injuries. Being 50 years or older had a significant negative affect on walking in subjects with AIS grade D but not AIS grade C injuries.

Conclusions: Admission AIS grades give information about walking for treatment and discharge planning during acute inpatient rehabilitation, including the following: (1) patients admitted with AIS grade C injuries should not be considered functionally complete when predicting walking (FIM score > or = 3; no more than moderate assistance) at discharge, (2) level of injury does not affect walking for those with AIS grade C or D injuries, and (3) being 50 years or older has a significant negative affect on walking in subjects with AIS grade D but not AIS grade C injuries.