Latimer, A. E., Martin Ginis, K. A.; Hicks, A. L. & McCarteny, N. (2004). An examination of the mechanisms of exercise induced change in psychological well-being among people with spinal cord injury. Journal of Rehabilitation and Research and Development, 41(5).
Abstract written by: Bradley Heit
Research shows that many individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) report severe and often disabling pain which has been found to be associated with elevated levels of stress, anxiety, and even depression. The Chronic Pain Process Model proposes that all of these factors are linked and that prolonged pain can initiate a vicious cycle of psychosocial stress, reduced physical activity, and a poor sense of well-being. The purpose of this 9-month investigation involving 21 participants with SCI was to test the model's validity as a potential mediator to its constructs. Intervention participants exercised twice a week while control participants maintained normal levels of activity and also received health education. There were significant changes in pain-mediated, exercise-induced change in stress, as well as stress-mediated, exercise-induced change in depression. This study furthers the knowledge of the effects of exercise among psychosocial variables and supports the use of regular exercise among people with SCI in order to relieve symptoms such as pain.
For the full abstract, go to http://www.ncpad.org/609/2561/Exercise~Induced~Change~in~Psychological~Well-Being~among~Spinal~Cord~Injury.