Post Doc Competition (Knowledge Generation) ID 1987817

Individuals with a neurologic level of injury (NLI) C1-T10 have an UMN bowel and propensity for external anal sphincter spasm and need chemical/mechanical stimuli to evacuate their bowels versus those with an NLI T11-S5 and LMN bowel whom have a patulous sphincter and complete manual bowel disimpaction. We describe the associations between independence in sphincter control for 5 years following discharge among individuals with traumatic SCI (tSCI). Adults with tSCI (n=113, 80 men) whom completed baseline, 1, 2, and 5-year community follow-up interviews (2014-2021) were included. Responses to the Spinal Cord Independence Measure (SCIM-III) Sphincter Control and Respiration subscores were extracted. Participants were separated into UMN and LMN groups. A linear mixed model determined longitudinal differences in SCIM subscores. NLI and follow-up time points were assigned as fixed effects, age a random effect, and sex as a covariate. Observed differences were compared to the minimal clinically importance difference (MCID) in SCIM-III subscores. The mean difference in SCIM-III subscores was 4.85 between the UMN and LMN bowel groups, with UMN group scoring lower at all-time points (p≤0.017). The mean group difference was equal to the MCID, constituting a substantial meaningful difference. No differences in SCIM subscores were noted across time (p≥0.9), regardless of NLI or bowel impairment. Self-reported sphincter control remains stable for 5 years post-injury, emphasizing the need to maximizing bowel independence before discharge. Individuals with UMN bowel have lower sphincter control scores than individuals with a LMN bowel.