Use of complementary and alternative medicine in persons with spinal cord injury in Switzerland: a survey study

Study design: Questionnaire-based survey study. Objectives: To evaluate the use of and the satisfaction with complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) techniques in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). Setting: Rehabilitation Center, Switzerland. Methods: Between May and September 2014, all patients with chronic (41 year) SCI attending the urologic outpatient clinic were asked to fill in a questionnaire regarding the use of CAM. Results: Of the 103 participants (66 men and 37 women), 73.8% stated that they have used some form of CAM since SCI, with acupuncture and homeopathy being the two techniques that were used most frequently (31% each). The most common indications for CAM use were pain and urinary tract infections (UTIs). CAM was used supplementarily rather than exclusively. Overall satisfaction (85.1%) as well as satisfaction rates for the different indications (pain: 85%; UTI: 90.5%) and for the most frequently used forms of CAM (homeopathy: 90.6%; acupuncture: 78.1%) were high. Conclusion: According to our data, there is a demand for adjunctive CAM procedures for the treatment of medical complications by persons with SCI. CAM led to high satisfaction levels. On the basis of these results, future research should systematically evaluate the therapeutic potential of the most popular CAM techniques, for example, acupuncture and homeopathy, for the treatment of secondary medical complications of SCI.