Article

Establish reference values of cardiorespiratory fitness applicable to
the general, untrained spinal cord injury (SCI) population. DESIGN: Data were
retroactively obtained from 12 studies (May 2004 to May 2012). SETTING: An
institution-affiliated applied physiology research laboratory. PARTICIPANTS: A
total of 153 men and 26 women (age, 18-55y) with chronic SCI (N=179) were
included. Participants were not involved in training activities for 1 or more
months before testing and were able to complete a progressive resistance exercise
test to determine peak oxygen consumption (Vo2peak). INTERVENTIONS: Not
applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Percentile ranking (poor<20%; fair; 20%-40%;
average, 40%-60%; good, 60%-80%; excellent, 80%-100%) used to establish reference
values. RESULTS: Reference cardiorespiratory fitness values based on functional
classification as paraplegic or tetraplegic were established (paraplegic: median,
16.0mL.kg(-1).min(-1); range, 1.4-35.2mL.kg(-1).min(-1); tetraplegic: median,
8.8mL.kg(-1).min(-1); range, 1.5-21.5mL.kg(-1).min(-1)) for untrained men and
women. For the primary outcome measure (Vo2peak), persons with paraplegia had
significantly higher values than did persons with tetraplegia (P<.001). Although
men had higher values than did women, these differences did not reach
significance (P=.256). Regression analysis revealed that motor level of injury
was associated with 22.3% of the variability in Vo2peak (P<.001), and an
additional 8.7% was associated with body mass index (P<.001). No other measure
accounted for additional significant variability. CONCLUSIONS: Established
reference fitness values will allow investigators/clinicians to stratify the
relative fitness of subjects/patients from the general SCI population. Key
determinants are motor level of injury and body habitus, yet most variability in
aerobic capacity is not associated with standard measures of SCI status or
demographic characteristics.
CI - Copyright (c) 2014 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS