Cardiovascular Health and Exercise Rehabilitation in Spinal Cord Injury

Top Spinal Cord Inj Rehabil, 2007 · DOI: · Published: January 1, 2007

Spinal Cord Injury Cardiovascular Science Rehabilitation

Simple Explanation

People with spinal cord injuries (SCI) are living longer, but they face a higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) at a younger age. This is partly due to physical inactivity, as daily activities aren't enough to keep them fit. This review looks at research on CVD risk in SCI patients and whether exercise programs can help. It focuses on how different exercises affect heart health, glucose levels, and cholesterol profiles. The review found that exercise, like arm workouts and functional electrical stimulation (FES), can improve heart health, glucose control, and cholesterol levels in people with SCI. More research is needed to find the best exercises and understand how they work.

Study Duration

Not specified

Participants

Human participants with spinal cord injury

Evidence Level

Systematic Review

Key Findings

1
Persons with SCI appear to experience an earlier onset and increased prevalence of CVD, with physical inactivity playing a significant role.
2
Upper extremity aerobic exercise and FES training have demonstrated health benefits for persons with SCI, including improvements in cardiovascular fitness and exercise tolerance.
3
Aerobic and FES training programs can improve glucose homeostasis in persons with SCI, which is significant for preventing or treating type 2 diabetes.

Research Summary

Persons with SCI are at an increased risk for CVD due to marked physical inactivity and injury-related changes in metabolic function. Physical activity interventions, particularly upper extremity aerobic exercise and FES training, can attenuate the progression of CVD and related comorbidities in persons with SCI. Exercise training appears to be an important therapeutic intervention for reducing the risk for CVD and multiple comorbidities in SCI, but further well-designed RCTs are required to establish firmly the primary mechanisms by which exercise interventions elicit these beneficial changes.

Practical Implications

Personalized exercise programs

Develop tailored exercise programs (arm ergometry, resistance training, BWSTT, and FES) to address abnormalities in glucose homeostasis, lipid lipoprotein profiles, and cardiovascular fitness in persons with SCI.

Improved Rehabilitation Strategies

Implement exercise training as a key therapeutic intervention to reduce the risk for CVD and associated comorbidities like type 2 diabetes and hypertension in SCI rehabilitation.

Further Research

Conduct well-designed RCTs to understand the mechanisms by which exercise interventions elicit beneficial changes and evaluate the long-term effects of these changes on CVD incidence and premature mortality in persons with SCI.

Study Limitations

1
Limited experimental data compared to other patient populations.
2
Lack of quality RCTs, especially regarding the effects of FES training on glucose homeostasis.
3
Need for long-term follow-up investigations to determine whether training-induced changes translate to reduced CVD incidence and premature mortality.

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