Physical Disabilities
Physical disability = limitation on a person, acquired or congenital, characterized by limitations
in motor functioning
- Physical functioning = functioning of body structures (organs, muscles, bones)
- Mobility = quality or state of being mobile (moving about our environment)
- Dexterity = coordination of small muscles (fine motor skills, object manipulation)
- Stamina = ability to exert oneself and remain active over a period of time (endurance)
Physical disability vs. mobility impairment
Mobility impairment = category of physical disability; person requires an adaptive device or aid
for mobility
- E.g. cane, crutch
A person can have a physical disability that does not necessarily impact their mobility
- All people with a mobility impairment have a physical disability
- Seeing and hearing disabilities as sensory disabilities
Many different types of physical disabilities
- And within each type, huge variability
- Thus, difficult to generalize the functional abilities of persons with physical disabilities
SCI: description
- Localized damage (“lesion”) to the spinal cord or roots
- Results from injury to, or disease of, the vertebrae, the spinal cord or the nerves of the
spinal column
- Associated with some degree of impaired motor and sensory function
- Dermatome (sensory:
o An area of skin supplied by the sensory axons of a single spinal nerve
- Myotome (motor)
o The group of muscles innervated by the motor axon of a single spinal nerve
o Most muscles innervated by more than one spinal nerve
SCI: Classification
- Congenital vs. acquired
- Traumatic vs. non-traumatic
o 90% of cases are due to traumatic cases
- E.g. spina bifida
o “split spine”
- paraplegia vs. tetraplegia
o also “quadriplegia” by persons with SCI
o vs. hemiplegia (brain or brainstem, not SCI)
o complete vs. incomplete
, SCI: Prevalence
Most common causes:
- accidents (work, sports, motor vehicle)
- falls
- violence
male:female ratio is 2:1
biomodal distribution of incidence
- 84% are <34 years old
higher mortality rates
- 15-30 years shorter life expectancy, 2-5X more likely to die prematurely
- highest in first year post-injury
o transfer to hospital and admission time
- increased risk with higher injury level
SCI: Personal Factors
Socioeconomic status
- Direct costs: equipment, mobility aids, medication
o ~20% of income spent on medication and rehabilitation costs alone
- Indirect costs: lost earnings
o <50% return to work
- costs greater for those with higher levels of injury
- insurance benefits (if from injury not always sufficient
- greater risk of mortality with lower socioeconomic status
SCI: Person Factors
Comorbid psychological conditions
- 20-30% experience depression (WHO, 2013)
o Vs. ~5-6% in general population (4-6X greater in people with SCI)
- Link with time since injury – purpose in life, acceptance, self-efficacy/mastery
- High prevalence of secondary conditions
o Extreme physiological changes that occur following injury
CP: Description
- “A disorder of movement and posture due to a defect or lesion of the immature brain”
- A group of permanent disorders of the development of movement and posture, causing
activity limitation, that are attributed to non-progressive disturbances that occurred in
the develop in fetal or infant brain.
o Often accompanied by impairments in sensation, perception, cognition,
communication, and behavior
CP: Body Function & Structure
- Generally affects the motor area of the brain’s outer layer (cerebral cortex/grey matter)
Physical disability = limitation on a person, acquired or congenital, characterized by limitations
in motor functioning
- Physical functioning = functioning of body structures (organs, muscles, bones)
- Mobility = quality or state of being mobile (moving about our environment)
- Dexterity = coordination of small muscles (fine motor skills, object manipulation)
- Stamina = ability to exert oneself and remain active over a period of time (endurance)
Physical disability vs. mobility impairment
Mobility impairment = category of physical disability; person requires an adaptive device or aid
for mobility
- E.g. cane, crutch
A person can have a physical disability that does not necessarily impact their mobility
- All people with a mobility impairment have a physical disability
- Seeing and hearing disabilities as sensory disabilities
Many different types of physical disabilities
- And within each type, huge variability
- Thus, difficult to generalize the functional abilities of persons with physical disabilities
SCI: description
- Localized damage (“lesion”) to the spinal cord or roots
- Results from injury to, or disease of, the vertebrae, the spinal cord or the nerves of the
spinal column
- Associated with some degree of impaired motor and sensory function
- Dermatome (sensory:
o An area of skin supplied by the sensory axons of a single spinal nerve
- Myotome (motor)
o The group of muscles innervated by the motor axon of a single spinal nerve
o Most muscles innervated by more than one spinal nerve
SCI: Classification
- Congenital vs. acquired
- Traumatic vs. non-traumatic
o 90% of cases are due to traumatic cases
- E.g. spina bifida
o “split spine”
- paraplegia vs. tetraplegia
o also “quadriplegia” by persons with SCI
o vs. hemiplegia (brain or brainstem, not SCI)
o complete vs. incomplete
, SCI: Prevalence
Most common causes:
- accidents (work, sports, motor vehicle)
- falls
- violence
male:female ratio is 2:1
biomodal distribution of incidence
- 84% are <34 years old
higher mortality rates
- 15-30 years shorter life expectancy, 2-5X more likely to die prematurely
- highest in first year post-injury
o transfer to hospital and admission time
- increased risk with higher injury level
SCI: Personal Factors
Socioeconomic status
- Direct costs: equipment, mobility aids, medication
o ~20% of income spent on medication and rehabilitation costs alone
- Indirect costs: lost earnings
o <50% return to work
- costs greater for those with higher levels of injury
- insurance benefits (if from injury not always sufficient
- greater risk of mortality with lower socioeconomic status
SCI: Person Factors
Comorbid psychological conditions
- 20-30% experience depression (WHO, 2013)
o Vs. ~5-6% in general population (4-6X greater in people with SCI)
- Link with time since injury – purpose in life, acceptance, self-efficacy/mastery
- High prevalence of secondary conditions
o Extreme physiological changes that occur following injury
CP: Description
- “A disorder of movement and posture due to a defect or lesion of the immature brain”
- A group of permanent disorders of the development of movement and posture, causing
activity limitation, that are attributed to non-progressive disturbances that occurred in
the develop in fetal or infant brain.
o Often accompanied by impairments in sensation, perception, cognition,
communication, and behavior
CP: Body Function & Structure
- Generally affects the motor area of the brain’s outer layer (cerebral cortex/grey matter)
