Abstract

MORENO-FERGUSSON, María Elisa  and  AMAYA REY, María Consuelo del Pilar. Body and embodiment in paraplegia: meaning of the changes. av.enferm. [online]. 2012, vol.30, n.1, pp.82-94. ISSN 0121-4500.

Spinal cord injuries are a devastating experience for people due to sudden and permanent sequels caused in terms of movility, sensitivity and independence. Purpose: describe the meaning of changes in the body and embodiment for paraplegic persons. Method: the paper is part of a qualitative study of grounded theory, oriented by the guidelines of Corbin e Strauss (2008). Information was gathered through 22 in-depth interviews, with participants linked to a hospital institution through the snowball strategy. Interviews were recorded and typed in full, and the process of gathering and analyzing data was performed in parallel. Results: the study describes nine categories that reflect the impact of changes in the body and corporality of paraplegic persons. The analysis of data shows that, with the passing of time, people are more aware of the sequels, they learn to recognize new patterns of corporal expression, develop new skills, adapt themselves to the use of equipment and fittings and discover a new kind of normality when they embrace the changes and accept their physical handicap. The results guide health-care professionals, in general, and nurses, in particular, towards a practice of care aimed at recognizing the new body and reconstructing a new corporality.

Keywords : Nursing; paraplegia; body image; rehabilitation; nursing theory; spinal cord injury.

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