AIM: Aim of the study is to determine the short term effects of rhythmic auditory stimulation with body weight supported treadmill training on gait and balance in individuals with SCI.

Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) is a sudden onset disruption to the neuronal tissue within the spinal canal resulting in spinal cord damage, which occurs as a result of trauma, disease or degeneration. Spinal Cord Injury can occur as a result of a)non-traumatic causes (16%) secondary to disease, infection and congenital defect or b)trauma (84%), with the most the common occurring as a result of motor vehicle and motor-bike accidents, followed by falls. Sport, in particular, water-based activities and work-related injuries are also common, while violence-related injuries from a gun, stab or war-related injuries are high in some countries.

Patients following spinal cord injury (SCI) may completely or partially lose their ability to walk.  The incidence of falls in people with SCI has been reported to be as high as 75% with loss of balance being the primary perceived factor contributing to falls in incomplete SCI.  

Need of the study - The recovery or improvement of ambulation after a Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) is an important goal because people who can walk independently are more likely to be able to participate in expected social roles and desired recreational activities, have a higher quality of life, and have improved health status. The partial body weight supported treadmill training is a common therapeutic strategy in rehabilitation of people with spinal cord injuries improving their gait and balance. Partial body weight support is provided by an overhead harness while leg  movements are assisted by therapists and a moving treadmill belt.  For gait rehabilitation, rhythmic auditory stimulation is also known to be effective at enhancing the walking ability of neurological patients. Stimulation to the motor centre of the brain demonstrate priming and timing of motor responses via audio-spinal path using sound cues and musical rhythms and activation of central pattern generators enhancing their gait pattern and their balance. This study incorporates use of both the techniques together for enhancing gait and balance of the patient.

This study is designed to determine the effectiveness of rhythmic auditory stimulation combined with body weight supported treadmill training on gait and balance in individuals with incomplete SCI.

Effectiveness of intervention will be compared between two groups 1) BWSTT with rhythmic auditory stimulation and 2) BWSTT without rhythmic auditory stimulation.

The outcome measures will focus on gait and balance parameters including velocity, cadence, step length, WISCI II, BBS, ABC SCALE, IEB.

The total duration of intervention will be of 2 weeks with a frequency of 5 times per week with each session of 30 minutes.

Paired and unpaired t- test will be used to evaluate the results.