Objectives: Wheelchairs are the prime mobility aid of persons with spinal cord injuries. Manual wheelchair propulsion puts a lot of demand on the cardiopulmonary as well as the skeletal system. The main purpose of the study was to compare the effects of both arm ergometry training and progressive resistance exercise training of upper limbs on resting heart rate and distance covered during wheel...

To compare cardiorespiratory responses to standing arm ergometry and treadmill exercise, two graded exercise stress tests were performed in 30 patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD). Cardiac catheterization and expired gas analyses were also done. Standing arm ergometry was discontinued because of arm fatigue in 15 (50%) patients, whereas treadmill exercise was stopped due to leg fatigue in...

PURPOSE To determine the influence of arm-crank exercise in reproductive hormone levels in adults with chronic SCI. Further objectives were to assess the influence of arm-crank exercise on muscle strength and body composition. MATERIALS AND METHODS Seventeen male adults with complete SCI at or below the 5th thoracic level (T5) volunteered for this study. Participants were randomly allocated t...

Background: Functional electrically stimulated (FES)-arm ergometry has been shown to increase peak power output and aerobic capacity in individuals with cervical SCI. However, the functional benefits remain unknown. Objective: To determine the effects of FES-arm ergometry on exercise performance, upper limb function and resting cardiovascular function in individuals with tetraplegia. Methods: F...

Cardiorespiratory fitness assessment with leg cycle exercise testing may be influenced by motor impairments in the paretic lower extremity. Hence, this study examined the usefulness of a unilateral arm crank exercise test to assess cardiorespiratory fitness in individuals with stroke, including sixteen individuals with hemiparetic stroke (mean ± SD age, 56.4 ± 7.5 years) and 12 age- and sex-mat...

Suppression of soleus H-reflex amplitude in stationary legs is seen during rhythmic arm cycling. We examined the influence of various arm-cycling parameters on this interlimb reflex modulation to determine the origin of the effect. We previously showed the suppression to be graded with the frequency of arm cycling but not largely influenced by changes in peripheral input associated with crank l...

Tetraplegic volunteers undertook progressive exercise training, using novel systems for arm-cranking exercise assisted by Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES). The main aim was to determine potential training effects of FES-assisted arm-crank ergometry (FES-ACE) on upper limb strength and cardiopulmonary (fitness) in tetraplegia. Surface FES was applied to the biceps and triceps during exerc...