OBJECTIVES: To describe adults who have suffered spinal cord injury; evaluate their functional independence considering the level of injury; describe the occurrence of problems in bowel function and the relationship with the level of functional independence. METHOD: Cross-sectional and observational study. Functional independence was investigated using the Functional Independence Measure. To assess bowel function, the guidance the patients received and their self-care practices, we used the Guidelines of the Consortium for Spinal Cord Injury Medicine. RESULTS: Of all 22 participants, 91% were men, mean age 38 years (SD 11.7), and 50.0% had minimal dependence and participated in a rehabilitation program. A change in the pattern of bowel function was observed after injury. CONCLUSION: Literature emphasizes the importance of establishing intervention programs through educational strategies for the control of neurogenic bowel.
Spinal cord injuries; Neurogenic bowel; Rehabilitation; Activities of daily living
