1. Low-Intensity Wheelchair Training in Inactive People with Long-Term Spinal Cord Injury
- Author
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Jan W. van der Scheer, Sonja de Groot, Riemer J.K. Vegter, Johanneke Hartog, Marga Tepper, Hans Slootman, DirkJan H.E.J. Veeger, Lucas H.V. van der Woude, SMART Movements (SMART), and Extremities Pain and Disability (EXPAND)
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,REHABILITATION ,medicine.medical_specialty ,FITNESS ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Population ,Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation ,EXERCISE ,Propulsion ,law.invention ,Upper Extremity ,Oxygen Consumption ,Wheelchair ,Randomized controlled trial ,law ,Task Performance and Analysis ,medicine ,Humans ,Disabled Persons ,Treadmill ,education ,PROPULSION TECHNIQUE ,Spinal cord injury ,Spinal Cord Injuries ,Aged ,education.field_of_study ,Rehabilitation ,business.industry ,Middle Aged ,PERFORMANCE ,medicine.disease ,BIOMECHANICS ,Intensity (physics) ,INDIVIDUALS ,Wheelchairs ,MECHANICAL EFFICIENCY ,Motor Skills ,Physical therapy ,Female ,business ,USERS - Abstract
Objective The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of a low-intensity wheelchair training on propulsion technique in inactive people with long-term spinal cord injury.Design Participants in this multicenter nonblinded randomized controlled trial were inactive manual wheelchair users with spinal cord injury for at least 10 yrs (N = 29), allocated to exercise (n = 14) or no exercise. The 16-wk training consisted of wheelchair treadmill propulsion at 30%-40% heart rate reserve or equivalent in rate of perceived exertion, twice a week, 30 mins per session. Propulsion technique was assessed at baseline as well as after 8, 16, and 42 wks during two submaximal treadmill-exercise blocks using a measurement wheel attached to a participant's own wheelchair. Changes over time between the groups were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U tests on difference scores (P Results Data of 16 participants could be analyzed (exercise: n = 8). Significant differences between the exercise and control groups were only found in peak force after 8 wks (respective medians, -20 N vs. 1 N; P = 0.01; r(u) = 0.78).Conclusions Significant training effects on propulsion technique were not found in this group. Perhaps, substantial effects require a higher intensity or frequency. Investigating whether more effective and feasible interventions exist might help reduce the population's risk of upper-body joint damage during daily wheelchair propulsion.
- Published
- 2015
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