Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation
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Arch Phys Med Rehabil · Feb 1997
Comparative StudyFirearm versus motor vehicle related spinal cord injury: preinjury factors, injury characteristics, and initial outcome comparisons among ethnically diverse groups.
To determine the extent to which individuals with spinal cord injuries caused by firearms differed from those caused by motor vehicle crash (MVC) in terms of selected preinjury factors, injury characteristics and related treatment, and outcomes at discharge from rehabilitation; and to determine the effect of ethnicity on preinjury factors and outcome. ⋯ Although preinjury factors are associated with ethnicity and minorities have higher proportions of SCI caused by firearms, these factors do not significantly influence rehabilitation outcomes at discharge. The primary factors influencing rehabilitation outcomes are related to the deficits, associated physical injuries, and related treatments common to the causes of the injury.