Physical activity intensity of patient's with traumatic brain injury during inpatient rehabilitation.

Objective: Use actigraphy to (1) describe the intensity of physical activity completed by patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) during inpatient rehabilitation, and (2) examine the association between physical activity intensity and demographic, injury, and programmatic characteristics.

Design: Observational.

Method: Fifty individuals with TBI undergoing inpatient rehabilitation wore accelerometers for an average of 8.7 ± 1.8 days to capture physical activity intensity that was summarized using activity counts (ACs). Intensity of activity was described for categories of the participant's day including physical and occupational therapy, non-active therapy, recreation, and sleep. Descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlations, and general linear regression were computed.

Results: Participants average physical activity intensity was considered "inactive" during physical (M = 242.7.7 ± 105.2 AC/min) and occupational therapy (M = 244 ± 105), non-active therapy (M = 142.2 ± 74.1), and recreation (M = 112.8 ± 59.5), and "sedentary" during sleep (M = 26.7 ± 14.8). Significant positive associations were identified between physical activity intensity and categories of the participant's day suggesting that participants who complete more intense activity in therapy also complete more intense activity during non-active therapy and recreation time. General linear regression indicated that age significantly predicted physical activity intensity.

Conclusions: Findings demonstrate that patients with TBI undergoing inpatient rehabilitation are largely inactive or sedentary. Strategies to promote a safe increase in physical activity intensity are required if cardiovascular conditioning is to be improved during inpatient rehabilitation.