Życie intymne osób niepełnosprawnych po urazie rdzenia kręgowego. Ocena roli fizjoterapeuty w procesie rehabilitacji
Sexuality and the disabled with spinal cord injury: assessment of the physiotherapist’s role in the rehabilitation process

Summary/Abstract: The sexuality of disabled men and women is taboo. In Poland, until now, there has never been a sexual rehabilitation program for the disabled after spinal cord injury. The aim of the empirical research carried out was to identify the main barriers associated with active sex life after spinal cord injury and to present the patients’ expectations of their sexual rehabilitation. An important aspect of the study was the question of the physiotherapist’s role insexual rehabilitation. The study included 12 women and 48 men with spinal cord injury. The authors used a questionnaire consisting of 22 questions, which was sent by e-mail to the respondents. The research participants most often mentioned these concerns about having an intercourse: psychological barriers and the inability to control their physiological reflexes during sexual contacts. The demand for sexual rehabilita-tion of persons with physical disabilities is very large, and the most expected forms of assistance are: sexual instruction and support in overcoming the fear of involuntary physiological reflexes. However, not all forms of rehabilitation have been positively evaluated by the respondents, for example the services of a stand-in partner have not found acceptance among them.

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