Options
The effects of a neuromuscular electrical stimulation training intervention on physiological measures in a spinal cord injured male : a case study
Date Issued
2010-04
Date Available
2010-08-24T13:40:49Z
Abstract
Background: People with spinal cord injury (SCI) are exposed to the development of comorbidities secondary to a decreased ability to exercise and pathological complications. Aerobic exercise has been advocated as a means of preventing the development of these illnesses. Previous research has indicated that functional electrical stimulation (FES) provides an appropriate aerobic stimulus in an SCI population to provide cardiovascular fitness gains. However, FES devices are time consuming for both clients and medical staff in a rehabilitation and home setting with devices often expensive. Our research group have developed a novel neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) system which may provide an alternative to FES and elicit a similar response. Methods: A 40 year old male with a T6 incomplete SCI, undertook 6 weeks of NMES training for one hour, five days per week. Pre and post intervention measures include a treadmill VO2 peak test, a DXA scan and subjective feedback regarding the NMES device and training stimulus. Results: Improvements in VO2 peak, heart rate and exercise tolerance were observed with minor decreases in total body fat mass. The participant reported that the NMES was an acceptable form of cardiovascular training. Conclusion: Our pilot case study has indicated that our NMES system is capable of eliciting an aerobic training effect in people with SCI, which could potentially improve their cardiovascular fitness. Further study with a greater number of participants is warranted in this population using a similar training program.
Sponsorship
Other funder
Other Sponsorship
Enterprise Ireland
BioMedical Research
Type of Material
Journal Article
Publisher
Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists
Journal
Physiotherapy Ireland
Volume
31
Issue
2
Start Page
30
End Page
35
Copyright (Published Version)
Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists 2010
Subject – LCSH
Electric stimulation
Spinal cord--Wounds and injuries--Treatment
Cardiovascular system--Diseases--Prevention
Exercise therapy
Language
English
Status of Item
Peer reviewed
This item is made available under a Creative Commons License
File(s)
Owning collection
Views
2587
Last Month
1
1
Acquisition Date
Mar 27, 2024
Mar 27, 2024
Downloads
2039
Last Week
1
1
Last Month
9
9
Acquisition Date
Mar 27, 2024
Mar 27, 2024