RESUMO
Vertical spinal creep can be measured from height loss of the body which can be used as an index of spinal loading. This height loss can be assessed with a stadiometer that is a safe and highly reliable device. The firstly invented stadiometer in Thailand is called “height loss measuring stadiometer.” This study investigated the reliability of the height loss measuring stadiometer in sitting posture by examining the reliability of the digimetic indicator device and the reliability of the measurement. Subjects were 10 healthy participants (5 males, 5 females). Intraclass Correlation Coefficiency (ICC) and means of standard deviations (SDs) were calculated. The results showed very high reliability of the digimetic indicator (ICC 1,1 = 1.00) and high reliability of the height loss measuring stadiometer (ICC 3,1 = 0.96). Mean of standard deviations was 0.17 millimeter which was less than the generally acceptable value that should be less than 0.5 millimeter. We conclude that the currently invented height loss measuring stadiometer is a highly reliable device that can be used for investigating the vertical spinal creep or measuring the height loss of the body from spinal loading after several activities.
RESUMO
An important goal of physical therapy treatments for patients with incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI) is to improve gait performance in order to maximize their capacities in the homes and community. However, gait rehabilitation nowadays are mainly done in a smooth and empty room which is different from what patients have to encounter after being discharged from the hospital. It is crucial to know the ability of patients when they walk across an obstacle. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate ability to walk over obstacles at the sizes that commonly found in the homes and community. Participants were 8 patients with iSCI who were able to walk independently with or without walking devices (FIM walking score = 5-7). The results demonstrated that 6 participants (75 %) failed when walked over the obstacles at least once. The fails were mostly due to foot or walking devices contact an obstacle. The finding indicated that participants who walked independently faced with a risk of fall when they had to walk over an obstacle. The information may have an important contribution for the modification of physical therapy programs for patients with iSCI.