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Objective: To determine the magnitude and range of increases in peak aerobic capacity with hybrid–functional electrical stimulation (FES) rowing versus arms-only rowing in persons with spinal cord injury. Design: Comparison of graded exercise tests for peak responses during FES rowing and arms-only rowing. Preliminary data on adaptations to FES row training were gathered in a subset of individuals. Setting: Outpatient cardiovascular research laboratory. Participants: Six male patients with spinal cord injury (T4-T9, American Spinal Injury Association class A). Methods or Intervention: Arms-only rowing was compared with FES rowing, in which the person who is exercising synchronizes the voluntarily controlled upper body movement with the FES-controlled leg movement via stimulation to the paralyzed leg muscles. A subgroup (n = 3) completed at least 6 months of a progressive FES row training exercise program with graded exercise tests every 6 months. Main Outcome Measurements: Peak oxygen consumption, peak ventilation, peak respiratory exchange ratio, peak heart rate, and peak oxygen pulse. Results: Peak oxygen consumption was greater during FES rowing than during arms-only rowing (20.0 ± 1.9 mL/kg/min versus 15.7 ± 1.5 mL/kg/min, P = .01). Peak ventilation was similar, whereas peak respiratory exchange ratio and peak heart rate tended to be lower (P = .14 and P = .19, respectively). As a result, oxygen pulse was greater by 35% during FES rowing. Two of the three persons who completed at least 6 months of FES row training demonstrated increases in aerobic capacity greater than those previously observed in able-bodied individuals. Conclusions: FES rowing may provide a more robust exercise stimulus for persons with spinal cord injury than most options currently available because of the greater aerobic demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The consumption of carbohydrate and protein after exercise improves muscle glycogen synthesis and attenuates the decrease in immune function seen with endurance-type exercise. However, the impact of consuming commercially available beverages on glycaemic, insulinaemic, and immune responses during recovery from rowing training has not been investigated. Twenty-one male and female rowers completed four trials in a randomized order. Commercially available beverages were consumed in volumes providing 1.2 g carbohydrate · kg-1 body mass, upon completion of ~90 min of rowing at 60-70% maximum oxygen uptake, interspersed with up to five 5-min intervals at or above race pace. Blood samples were taken before and 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 min after consumption of the beverages for analysis of insulin and glucose and at 90 and 360 min for the analysis of cortisol and interleukin-6 (IL-6). The high-carbohydrate sports beverage and the meal replacement beverage produced a significantly larger (P<0.05) glucose incremental area under the curve than the sports-specific meal replacement beverage or the flavoured milk beverage. The high-carbohydrate sports beverage and the sports-specific meal replacement beverage produced a significantly lower (P<0.05) insulin incremental area under the curve than the meal replacement beverage or the flavoured milk beverage. The meal replacement beverage produced both a high glycaemic and insulinaemic response, suggesting that it may produce a higher rate of muscle glycogen resynthesis. There was a significant interaction between time and beverage for IL-6 (P=0.001), but not for cortisol (P=0.779). These results indicate that the impact of post-exercise nutrition on immune response may not be exclusively mediated by an attenuation of the cortisol response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the study was to assess whether postural stability in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) could be affected by training. Ten post-rehabilitated persons with thoracic SCI performed 30 sessions of kayak ergometer training during a 10-week period. The ergometer was modified with a balance module adjustable in the medio-lateral direction. Before and after the training period, horizontal support-surface translations were presented randomly, either in the forward or backward direction, or to the side, while subjects sat in their own wheelchairs. The platform perturbation consisted of an unpredictable initial acceleration, followed by a constant-velocity phase and a predictable deceleration. Markers were applied on the trunk and movement data were recorded in 3D. Four kinematic responses of trunk angular and linear displacement were investigated. In general, postural stability was improved after training with smaller rotational and linear displacements of the trunk observed during both predictable and unpredictable translations in all directions. Thus, the training was able to improve the ability of persons with long-standing SCI to maintain an upright sitting posture in response to externally generated balance perturbations, which should imply an increased capacity to master similar challenges to balance in everyday life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]