Rehabilitation Nursing Care for a Person with Secondary Paraparesis due to Spinal Cord Ischemia: Case Report

Patrícia Horta, Susana Esteves, Nelson Guerra, Sandy Severino and Luís Sousa
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Patrícia Horta: Escola Superior de Saúde Atlântica, Universidade Atlântica, Departamento de Enfermagem. Barcarena, Portugal
Susana Esteves: Unidade Local de Saúde Santa Maria, EPE, Equipa Cuidados Continuados Integrados. Lisboa, Portugal
Nelson Guerra: Escola Superior de Saúde Atlântica, Universidade Atlântica, Departamento de Enfermagem. Barcarena, Portugal
Sandy Severino: Escola Superior de Saúde Atlântica, Universidade Atlântica, Departamento de Enfermagem. Barcarena, Portugal
Luís Sousa: Escola Superior de Saúde Atlântica, Universidade Atlântica, Departamento de Enfermagem. Barcarena, Portugal

International Journal of Neurology, 2025, vol. 59, 116

Abstract: Introduction: spinal cord ischemia is a rare neurological condition, with an estimated incidence of between 0.6 and 1.2 cases per million inhabitants/year in Portugal. Objective: to describe the functional outcomes in a person with secondary paraparesis due to spinal cord ischemia after three weeks of a community-based rehabilitation nursing program. Clinical Case Report: this is a descriptive study, prepared in accordance with CARE guidelines. It refers to a female patient, aged between 75 and 80, diagnosed with spinal cord ischemia, presenting secondary paraparesis. Follow-up was carried out at home by a specialist rehabilitation nurse, who was part of the integrated continuing care team. The rehabilitation nursing intervention focused on muscle movement, sensory deficit, body balance, and assisted gait training. Over the three weeks of implementation of the care plan, significant functional gains were observed, namely increased muscle strength, partial recovery of tactile and proprioceptive sensitivity, improved postural balance, and increased walking safety. Conclusion: the results show that early and specialized intervention by Rehabilitation Nursing played a decisive role in the functional recovery of people with ischemic spinal cord injury, promoting gains in autonomy and independence, expressed by increased muscle strength, improved balance, and optimized gait.

Keywords: Spinal Cord Ischemia; Spinal Cord; Rehabilitation; Nursing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cwh:ijneur:v:59:y:2025:id:116

DOI: 10.62486/ijn2025116

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