Women Living With a Spinal Cord Injury: Perceptions About Their Changed Bodies

Abstract

In this article we illuminate the narratives of women living with a spinal cord injury (SCI) with regard to (a) learning how to live with a changed body and (b) exploring the factors that influence how they feel toward their new bodies. An SCI produces immediate physical impairments resulting in a changed body, which can then have physical, emotional, and social consequences to these women. Through its focus on enhancing the body, physical therapy can help to promote a positive view of the self within the changed body. Our analysis of these women's experiences resulted in a fluid, three-phase framework of learning to live with a changed body that generally moves from (a) discomfort, to (b) moving toward comfort, to (c) comfort. Physical therapy can potentially influence the process of women's gaining comfort with their changed bodies following an SCI. The framework provides a basis for future research on adaptation following SCI.

Using interpretative phenomenological analysis to inform physiotherapy practice: An introduction with reference to the lived experience of cerebellar ataxia

“…These findings are both new with respect to understanding the experience of living with ataxia and yet resonate with other studies of people living with motor impairment such as Parkinson's disease (Bramley and Eatough, 2008;Nijhof, 1995), multiple sclerosis (Grytten and Måseide, 2005;Grytten and Måseide, 2006;Toombs, 1995) and spinal cord injury (Chau et al, 2008), as well as other less obviously aligned conditions such as Tourette syndrome (Davis, Davis, and Dowler, 2004). Identification of recurrent themes and findings that are consistent with other studies is important in establishing a corpus of evidence that may be used to point toward the development of stronger theoretical statements or to facilitate the often incremental translation of research findings into clinical practice.…”

“…Toombs (1995) also spoke of the shame she felt and the covering behaviours she adopted with each transition she made from walking independently to becoming a full-time wheelchair user as part of living with multiple sclerosis. More recently, women with spinal cord injury have talked about their experience of the ''stare'' and adopting social isolation strategies as part of a process of coming to terms with their changed body (Chau et al, 2008).…”

Social Representations of the Wheelchair for People with Spinal Cord Injury

“…So, the intervention of culture on the body, according to the assumptions of social inclusion, could focus on the aesthetic standards, on the conception of beauty, but especially on the way that disabled individuals are viewed and perceived in society. These changes will reflect in the image they have of themselves, as a result of this social relationship, and also in the current ways of living and conceiving the body with the interaction with the wheelchair (2) . To experience and achieve the process of …”

“…The bodily changes and limitations of functional actions, relevant to the deficiency state, provoke diverse social and psychological responses in the personality of the person affected by the SCI (1)(2)(3) .…”

Exploring Body Image and Self-Concept of Men With Acquired Spinal Cord Injuries

“…Studies exploring the perspectives of individuals with acquired SCI often reported changes in quality of life and adaptations to disability that they must make (Bach & McDaniel, 1993;Chau et al, 2008;Kothari, 2004;Manns & Chad, 2001;Martz, Livneh, Priebe, Wuermser, & Ottomanelli, 2005;Reitz, Tobe, Knapp, & Schurch, 2004;Smith & Sparkes, 2005;Song, 2005). These studies included reports of the impact on quality of life and adaptation needed following SCI.…”