Effects of a standard transfer exercise program on transfer quality and activities of daily living for transfer-dependent spinal cord injury patients

[Purpose] The objective of this study was to analyze the effect of a standard transfer exercise program on the transfer quality and activities of daily living (ADL) in wheelchair-dependent spinal cord injury patients. [Subjects and Methods] We randomly divided 22 patients into 2 groups. During the intervention period, one group received treatment with both conventional physical therapy and a standard sitting pivot transfer exercise program (experimental group, n=12) and the other group was managed solely with conventional physical therapy (control group, n=10). The standard transfer exercise program comprised of an independent and a dependent program. Exercises were conducted 30 minutes daily, 3 times per week, over a period of 6 weeks. All subjects were tested using a transfer assessment instrument (TAI) and spinal cord independence measure (SCIM) before and after the intervention. [Results] Compared to the control group, the intervention group scored higher on both the transfer assessment instrument (TAI Part 1, Part 2, TAI total score) and spinal cord independence measure tests (SCIM mobility room and toilet score; SCIM total score). [Conclusion] In conclusion, the standard transfer exercise program is an effective tool which improves transfer quality and the ability of wheelchair-dependent spinal cord injury patients to carry out their ADLs.