Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Fizik Tedavi ve Rehabilitasyon Yüksekokulu

OBJECTIVES : We evaluated the effect of rehabilitation on functional results and quality of life of patients who underwent surgery for spinal cord tumors. STUDY DESIGN : The study included 54 patients (31 males, 23 females; mean age 45 years; range 14 to 83 years) who underwent surgery for spinal cord tumors. The Functional Independence Measure (FlM) and Short-Form 36 (SF-36) were used for functional results and quality of life evaluation, respectively, on discharge, and the fırst, sixth, and 12th months postoperatively. In addition, the patients were randomly assigned to two groups on discharge. Home rehabilitation programmes were given to 43 patients during the evaluation period, while the remaining patients were only evaluated by FIM and SF-36. RESULTS : Although FIM scores manifested more increases in patients receiving home programmes, these differences did not reach significance (p>0.05). The presence of neurological deficits were found to significantly influence the functional and quality of life parameters (p>0.05). The SF-36 evaluations showed significantly higher scores at the end of the sixth and 12 months with home rehabilitation programmes (p>0.05). CONCLUSION : Early postoperative rehabilitatian and home programs after discharge contribute to increased functional independence and quality of life of patients undergoing surgery for spinal cord tumors.