Article

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of cycling, electrical stimulation, or both,
on thigh muscle volume and stimulated muscle strength in children with spinal
cord injury (SCI). DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Children's
hospital specializing in pediatric SCI. PARTICIPANTS: Children (N=30; ages,
5-13y) with chronic SCI. INTERVENTIONS: Children were randomly assigned to 1 of 3
interventions: functional electrical stimulation cycling (FESC), passive cycling
(PC), and noncycling, electrically stimulated exercise (ES). Each group exercised
for 1 hour, 3 times per week for 6 months at home. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
Preintervention and postintervention, children underwent magnetic resonance
imaging to assess muscle volume, and electrically stimulated isometric muscle
strength testing with the use of a computerized dynamometer. Data were analyzed
via analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) with baseline measures as covariates.
Within-group changes were assessed via paired t tests. RESULTS: All 30 children
completed the training. Muscle volume data were complete for 24 children (8 FESC,
8 PC, 8 ES) and stimulated strength data for 27 children (9 per group). Per
ANCOVA, there were differences between groups (P<.05) for quadriceps muscle
volume and stimulated strength, with the ES group having greater changes in
volume and the FESC group having greater changes in strength. Within-group
analyses showed increased quadriceps volume and strength for the FESC group and
increased quadriceps volume for the ES group. CONCLUSIONS: Children receiving
either electrically stimulated exercise experienced changes in muscle size,
stimulated strength, or both. These changes may decrease their risk of
cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, and type 2
diabetes. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT00245726.
CI - Copyright (c) 2011 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS