Complications following spinal cord injury: Occurrence and risk factors in a longitudinal study during and after inpatient rehabilitation

Objective: To assess the occurrence and risk factors for com-plications following spinal cord injury during and after in-patient rehabilitation. Design: Multicentre longitudinal study. Subjects: A total of 212 persons with a spinal cord injury admitted to specialized rehabilitation centres. Methods: Assessments at the start of active rehabilitation (n = 212), 3 months later (n = 143), at discharge (n = 191) and 1 year after discharge (n = 143). Results: Multi-level random coefficient analyses revealed that complications were common following spinal cord in-jury. Most subjects reported neurogenic and musculoskeletal pain, or had spasticity at each assessment. During the year after discharge, complications remained common: urinary tract infections and pressure sores affected 49 % and 36 % o