SCIPA Programme: Spinal Cord Injury and Physical Activity: Intensive Exercise from Acute Care to the Community

Overview

Led by the University of Melbourne, SCIPA was a series of multi-centre randomised controlled clinical trials that examined the effectiveness of very early intervention for the lower limbs, task-specific training for the arm and hand, and an intensive activity-based therapy program for the whole body including the paralysed limbs. A Certificate Training Program to improve the knowledge and confidence of fitness instructors in the community regarding exercise for people with spinal cord injury was also designed and evaluated.

Method

Status of Research

Completed.

Outputs

Feedback for Participants:

SCIPA Full-On results, read HERE

SCIPA Switch-On results, read HERE

SCIPA Hands-On results, read HERE

Experiences of taking part in the SCIPA ‘Full-On’ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26782840

Publications:

Galea, M.P., Dunlop, S.A., Geraghty, T., Davis, G.M., Nunn, A., Olenko, L., Hurley, M., Rehab, R., Marshall, R., Clark, J., Acland, R., Nunnerley, J. (2018). SCIPA Full-On: A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Intensive Whole-Body Exercise and Upper Body Exercise After Spinal Cord Injury. Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1545968318771213

Calder, A., Nunnerley, J., Mulligan, H., Ahmad Ali, N., Kensington, G., McVicar, T., & van Schaik, O. (2017). Experiences of persons with spinal cord injury undertaking a physical activity programme as part of the SCIPA ‘Full-On’ randomised controlled trial. Disability and Health Journal. doi: 10.1016/j.dhjo.2017.10.005

Galea, M.P., Panisset, M.G., El-Ansary, Dunlop, S.A,…Nunnerley, J. (2017) SCIPA Switch-On: A Randomized Controlled Trial Investigating the Efficacy and Safety of Functional Electrical Stimulation–Assisted Cycling and Passive Cycling Initiated Early After Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury. Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair 2017, Vol. 31(6) 540–551. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1545968317697035

Harvey, L.A., Dunlop, S.A., Churilov, L., Galea M.P.,…..Sinnott KA…..Spinal Cord Injury Physical Activity (SCIPA) Hands On Trial Collaborators. (2016) Early intensive hand rehabilitation is not more effective than usual care plus one-to-one hand therapy in people with sub-acute spinal cord injury (‘Hands On’):a randomised trial. Journal of Physiotherapy 62 (2016) 88–95 https://www.journalofphysiotherapy.com/article/S1836-9553(16)00022-9/abstract