A landmark study led by researchers from the Kolling Institute has confirmed that stepping up rehabilitation soon after a spinal cord injury does not improve recovery or deliver significantly better outcomes.
These important findings follow a phase 3 study involving 220 people across rehabilitation centres in Australia and Europe, including several leading Dutch and Flemish institutions.
Researchers measured the impact of 10 weeks of additional motor training which involved 12 hours a week of extra intensive therapy on top of the usual inpatient rehabilitation.
The results indicated no meaningful improvements in neurological recovery, functional independence, walking ability or quality of life immediately after the 10-week program or six months later.
Study lead Professor Lisa Harvey said the result suggests the current level of specialised care already provides sufficient training intensity.
“We have confirmed that increasing training hours in the early days after an injury doesn’t enhance recovery.” she said.
Professor Harvey welcomed the large-scale, international collaboration involved in the trial, saying it has delivered a definitive result.
“Trials like this are not possible without the co-operation of so many different people,” she said. “The successful completion of this trial shows what can be achieved when we combine forces.”
“While all of us would like to see solutions and cures for people who experience a spinal cord injury, research in this field will only progress if we tease out what therapies do and don’t make a difference.”
Co-lead, Associate Professor Joanne Glinsky said people with this type of injury can be reassured that they don’t need to chase costly and time-consuming intensive exercise programs to maximise their potential for recovery.
“What they are currently receiving is just as good,” she said.
“This means that any remaining disability is not because they didn’t work hard enough. We hope that this may offer patients some comfort and reassurance.”
The findings have been published in the highly-respected Lancet Neurology.
