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Effect of service dogs on manual wheelchair users with spinal cord injury: A pilot study

Effect of service dogs on manual wheelchair users with spinal cord injury: A pilot study. Geoffrey Hubert, MSc; Michel Tousignant, PT, PhD; François Routhier, PEng, PhD; Hélène Corriveau, PT, PhD; Noël Champagne, ED, MA Psy. Aim

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Effect of service dogs on manual wheelchair users with spinal cord injury: A pilot study

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  1. Effect of service dogs on manual wheelchair users with spinal cord injury: A pilot study Geoffrey Hubert, MSc; Michel Tousignant, PT, PhD; François Routhier, PEng, PhD; Hélène Corriveau, PT, PhD; Noël Champagne, ED, MA Psy

  2. Aim • Document effect of service dog on manual wheelchair (MWC) mobility and user shoulder pain, social participation, and quality of life. • Relevance • Service dogs help people with mobility impairments open doors, retrieve telephone, pick up objects, and pull MWC, etc. • Using traction provided by service dogs has physical benefits because users can operate their MWCs with less effort.

  3. Method • Assessed 11 MWC users with spinal cord injury before and after training with service dog and then 7 months later.

  4. Results • Using service dog: • Increased distance covered by MWC users. • Significantly decreased shoulder pain and intensity of effort. • Produced slight but significant improvements in MWC user skills and social participation. • May indicate trend for improved quality of life.

  5. Conclusion • More extensive research is needed to precisely identify effect of service dogs on long-term management of MWC use.

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