Rehabilitation interventions to modify endocrine-metabolic disease risk in individuals with chronic spinal cord injury living in the community (RIISC): A systematic search and review of prospective cohort and case-control studies.

CONTEXT

Endocrine-metabolic disease (EMD) is associated with functional disability, social isolation, hospitalization and even death in individuals living with a chronic spinal cord injury (SCI). There is currently very low-quality evidence that rehabilitation interventions can reduce EMD risk during chronic SCI. Non-randomized trials and alternative study designs are excluded from traditional knowledge synthesis.

OBJECTIVE

To characterize evidence from level 3-4 studies evaluating rehabilitation interventions for their effectiveness to improve EMD risk in community-dwelling adults with chronic SCI.

METHODS

Systematic searches of MEDLINE PubMed, EMBASE Ovid, CINAHL, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and PsychInfo were completed. All longitudinal trials, prospective cohort, case-control studies, and case series evaluating the effectiveness of rehabilitation/therapeutic interventions to modify/associate with EMD outcomes in adults with chronic SCI were eligible. Two authors independently selected studies and abstracted data. Mean changes from baseline were reported for EMD outcomes. The Downs and Black Checklist was used to rate evidence quality.

RESULTS

Of 489 articles identified, 44 articles ( = 842) were eligible for inclusion. Individual studies reported statistically significant effects of electrical stimulation-assisted training on lower-extremity bone outcomes, and the combined effects of exercise and dietary interventions to improve body composition and cardiometabolic biomarkers (lipid profiles, glucose regulation). In contrast, there were also reports of no clinically important changes in EMD outcomes, suggesting lower quality evidence (study bias, inconsistent findings).

CONCLUSION

Longitudinal multicentre pragmatic studies involving longer-term exercise and dietary intervention and follow-up periods are needed to fully understand the impact of these rehabilitation approaches to mitigate EMD risk. Our broad evaluation of prospective cohort and case-control studies provides new perspectives on alternative study designs, a multi-impairment paradigm approach of studying EMD outcomes, and knowledge gaps related to SCI rehabilitation.