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Exercise Prescription For Spinal Cord Injury (SCI)


This e-Learning module has been developed through funding from the Paralyzed Veterans of America Education Foundation. This module is designed to be a tool for health practitioners to update their knowledge about prescribing activity for people living with SCI. It is interactive, self-guided, and includes current recommendations. There are four case studies included that allow users to explore different real-world examples and information related to different types of physical activity and exercise. There is information about barriers to physical activity and strategies to overcome them that are specific to SCI. Individuals living with SCI and their caregivers are also encouraged to complete the module on their own. Our goal is to promote physical activity and exercise participation to as many people as possible which may help to improve overall health and lower disease risk.

The objectives of this module are to:

  • To gain knowledge of the most up-to-date exercise recommendations for individuals with spinal cord injury
  • To understand the various options for participation in aerobic and resistance-based exercise to reduce cardiometabolic risk.
  • To learn about specific barriers to physical activity commonly experienced by individuals with SCI and explore strategies to safely overcome these barriers while implementing physical activity.
  • To bolster understanding of the material from the module through the completion of four case-study exercises.

About Project Director

Chip Rowan is currently an Assistant Professor (Teaching Stream) in the School of Kinesiology & Health Science at York University in Toronto. Dr. Rowan is a Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology Certified Exercise Physiologist and a Registered Kinesiologist with experience in this field from his work as the Team Leader for the outpatient Fitness Centre at Lyndhurst, Canada's largest dedicated spinal cord injury rehabilitation hospital and part of the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. This module is a product of his Postdoctoral work with Dr. Cathy Craven (Craven Lab), a Senior Scientist at the KITE Research Institute and Medical Director at Lyndhurst. In addition to contributions from Dr. Craven, significant input was also provided by Dr. Kristin Musselman, trained physiotherapist, Scientist at KITE, and Assistant Professor in the School of Physical Therapy at the University of Toronto (SCI Mobility Lab), by Dr. Cindy Gauthier, trained physiotherapist and Postdoctoral fellow at KITE, as well as Dr. Masae Miyatani, research coordinator at Lyndhurst.

Email Correspondence should be directed to SCIresearch@uhn.ca

Chip Rowan

PhD, CSEP-CEP, RKin
Assistant Professor, Kinesiology & Health Science, York University
Certified Exercise Physiologist