ABSTRACT
Vocational and avocational activities of the thoracic and lumbar level of the spinal cord injury patients admitted at the Orthopaedic Department, Siriraj Hospital, were studied. Fifty-five patients from the total of 78 answered the questionnaire. The vocational ability was found in 29.1 percent (16/55 patients) : 8 persons worked for the whole day, 5 persons did half-day work and 3 persons did less than a half-day work. The reasons for not working were disability, the condition of the working place and lack of transportation ; 32, 18 and 15 percent respectively. There were significant differences in the income and severity of diseases between the two groups (people who can work and can’t work) with p value of 0.0006 and 0.007. Sixty-nine percent of patients had avocational activities and the most favorite activity was reading. Modification of the working place or the job and improvement of public transportation system should be performed in order to increase the number of working peoples.