Article

Damage to the spinal cord compromises motor function and sensation below the
level of injury, resulting in paralysis and progressive secondary health
complications. Inactivity and reduced energy requirements result in reduced
cardiopulmonary fitness and an increased risk of coronary heart disease and
cardiovascular complications. These risks may be minimized through regular
physical activity. It is proposed that such activity should begin at the earliest
possible time point after injury, before extensive neuromuscular degeneration has
occurred. Robotic-assisted tilt-table therapy may be used during early-stage
spinal cord injury (SCI) to facilitate stepping training, before orthostatic
stability has been achieved. This study investigates whether such a stimulus may
be used to maintain pulmonary and coronary health by describing the acute
responses of patients with early-stage (<1 yr) motor-complete SCI (cSCI) and
motor-incomplete SCI (iSCI) to passive, active, and electrically stimulated
robotic-assisted stepping. Active participation was found to elicit an increased
response from iSCI patients. The addition of electrical stimulation did not
consistently elicit further increases. Extensive muscle atrophy was found to have
occurred in those patients with cSCI, thereby limiting the potential
effectiveness of electrical stimulation. Active participation in robotic-assisted
tilt-table therapy may be used to improve cardiopulmonary fitness in iSCI
patients if implemented as part of a regular training program.

Langue : ANGLAIS