@article{ref1,
title="Negotiating identity and self-image: perceptions of falls in ambulatory individuals with spinal cord injury - a qualitative study",
journal="Clinical rehabilitation",
year="2016",
author="Jørgensen, Vivien and Roaldsen, Kirsti Skavberg",
volume="31",
number="4",
pages="544-554",
abstract="OBJECTIVE: Explore and describe experiences and perceptions of falls, risk of falling, and fall-related consequences in individuals with incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI) who are still walking. <br><br>DESIGN: A qualitative interview study applying interpretive content analysis with an inductive approach. SETTING: Specialized rehabilitation hospital. SUBJECTS: A purposeful sample of 15 individuals (10 men), 23 to 78 years old, 2-34 years post injury with chronic incomplete traumatic SCI, and walking ⩾75% of time for mobility needs. <br><br>METHODS: Individual, semi-structured face-to-face interviews were recorded, condensed, and coded to find themes and subthemes. <br><br>RESULTS: One overarching theme was revealed: &quot;Falling challenges identity and self-image as normal&quot; which comprised two main themes &quot;Walking with incomplete SCI involves minimizing fall risk and fall-related concerns without compromising identity as normal&quot; and &quot;Walking with incomplete SCI implies willingness to increase fall risk in order to maintain identity as normal&quot;. Informants were aware of their increased fall risk and took precautions, but willingly exposed themselves to risky situations when important to self-identity. All informants expressed some conditional fall-related concerns, and a few experienced concerns limiting activity and participation. <br><br>CONCLUSION: Ambulatory individuals with incomplete SCI considered falls to be a part of life. However, falls interfered with the informants' identities and self-images as normal, healthy, and well-functioning. A few expressed dysfunctional concerns about falling, and interventions should target these.<br><br>© The Author(s) 2016.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0269-2155",
doi="10.1177/0269215516648751",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0269215516648751"
}