Article

OBJECTIVES: To assess pain relieving effects of an intensive exercise programme
on a seated double-poling ergometer in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI).
SETTING: Stockholm, Sweden. METHODS: A total of 13 wheelchair-dependent
individuals with a thoracic or lumbar SCI were recruited to a 10-week training
period (three times weekly) assessing the effects of regular training on
upper-body strength, aerobic and mechanical power, and crossover effects on
functional performance, as well as cardiovascular risk factors. Eight of the
participants reported pain and were included in this exploratory pain protocol
and assessed using the International SCI Basic Pain Data set, the Wheelchair
Users' Shoulder Pain Index and International SCI Quality of Life Basic Data set.
RESULTS: For those with neuropathic pain, median pain intensity ratings decreased
from 5 on a 0-10 numerical rating scale at base-line to 3 at the end of study,
and four of seven participants reported an improvement on the Patient Global
Impression of Change scale. For those with musculoskeletal pain (n = 5), median
pain intensity ratings improved from 4 at baseline to 0 at the end of study. All
but one rated no musculoskeletal pain at all at the end of study and number of
days with pain per week decreased from 5.5 to 0.7. None of the participants
developed pain, because of overuse during the training period and few reported
unwanted side effects. CONCLUSION: Considering its promising effects and safety,
an intensive exercise programme can be tried for treating musculoskeletal pain
and also neuropathic pain following SCI.

Langue : ANGLAIS