After rehabilitation: 5 men's experience of living with spinal injury

Traumatically acquired spinal cord injury provokes a multitude of physical, psychological and social change. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) is used to explore the experience of 5 men adjusting to living at home in the first 6 months after rehabilitation. It aims to capture the lived experience of men making the transition from rehabilitation and coming to terms with the impact of injury in their own homes and communities. Three common themes emerged: 'I'm the same but different: continuity and change of self', capturing the impact of SCI on identity, 'It's definitely different: learning to manage an altered body', reflecting the task of dealing with altered bodily function and appearance, and 'Seeing things differently: from catastrophe to challenge' relating to appraisals, coping and resilience in the face of change. A unique patterning and unfolding of themes is also described. The lived experience of SCI in the early months post-discharge involves a reorganisation of identity firmly based on continuity as well as disruption, a familiarisation with altered bodies and the development of new appreciations as a consequence of approaching SCI as a complex challenge.