Objective: To analyze the impact of lower extremity deep sensory impairment on the walking capability of patients with incomplete cervical spinal cord injury.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Spinal Injuries Center, Fukuoka, Japan.

Participants: Patients with incomplete cervical spinal cord injury who were transferred to the Spinal Injuries Center within 2 weeks of injury and whose progress was monitored for 6 months postinjury were included. Sixty-three patients with a lower extremity motor score of 42 points or more were enrolled. They were divided into lower extremity deep sensory impairment (16 patients) and normal (47 patients) groups, and their walking capability was compared.

Interventions: Not applicable.

Outcome Measures: Upper and lower extremity motor scores, the presence or absence of deep sensation impairment, and walking capability indices at 6 months postinjury were evaluated.

Results: The deep sensory impairment group performed significantly worse than the normal group across items in the Walking Index for Spinal Cord Injury II and in the indoor and outdoor mobility items of the Spinal Cord Independence Measure III. Indoor and outdoor mobility independence levels decreased further in the lower extremity deep sensory impairment group than in the normal group.

Conclusions: The presence of lower extremity deep sensation impairments was an important factor affecting the achievement of independent walking capabilities in patients with incomplete cervical spinal cord injury. Hence, when patients with incomplete cervical spinal cord injury undergo walking training, not only their lower extremity muscle strength but also their level of deep sensation impairment must be evaluated.

目的：分析下肢深部感觉障碍对不完全性颈脊髓损伤患者步行能力的影响。

设计：回顾性队列研究。

地点：日本福冈脊柱损伤中心。

参与者：包括在损伤后 2 周内被转移到脊髓损伤中心并在损伤后 6 个月监测其进展的不完全性颈脊髓损伤患者。入组了 63 名下肢运动评分为 42 分或更高的患者。将他们分为下肢深度感觉障碍组（16例）和正常组（47例），比较他们的行走能力。

干预：不适用。

结果测量：评估上肢和下肢运动评分、是否存在深度感觉障碍以及受伤后 6 个月时的行走能力指数。

结果：深部感觉障碍组在脊髓损伤行走指数Ⅱ项和脊髓独立测量Ⅲ室内外活动性项中的表现明显差于正常组。与正常组相比，下肢深部感觉障碍组的室内外活动独立性水平进一步下降。

结论：下肢深部感觉障碍的存在是影响不完全性颈脊髓损伤患者独立行走能力获得的重要因素。因此，颈脊髓不全损伤患者在进行步行训练时，不仅要评估其下肢肌力，还要评估其深部感觉障碍的程度。