Experimental Protocol of a Three-minute, All-out Arm Crank Exercise Test in Spinal-cord Injured and Able-bodied Individuals

Journal of Visualized Experiments, 2017 · DOI: 10.3791/55485 · Published: June 8, 2017

Spinal Cord Injury Orthopedics Rehabilitation

Simple Explanation

This article details a protocol for a 3-minute, all-out arm crank ergometer test, designed to assess upper body exercise performance in both able-bodied individuals and those with spinal cord injuries. The test aims to provide a reliable and standardized method for monitoring exercise capacity, particularly in the context of sports like wheelchair racing, rowing, and hand-cycling. The protocol emphasizes the importance of precise settings and adjustments, such as torque factor and participant positioning, to ensure consistent and reproducible test conditions.

Study Duration

Not specified

Participants

21 recreationally trained individuals, 17 able-bodied, 10 paraplegic, and 7 tetraplegic participants

Evidence Level

Not specified

Key Findings

1
The 3-min all-out arm crank test demonstrates reliability in able-bodied participants, making it suitable for research and exercise testing.
2
Significant differences in peak and mean power output were observed between able-bodied, paraplegic, and tetraplegic participants, with tetraplegic participants exhibiting the lowest power output.
3
The study highlights the importance of considering individual variability, particularly in tetraplegic individuals, due to varying lesion levels and muscle function.

Research Summary

This article presents a detailed experimental protocol for a 3-minute, all-out arm crank exercise test, applicable to both spinal-cord injured and able-bodied individuals. The protocol focuses on standardization of test conditions, including participant positioning, torque factor, and warm-up procedures, to ensure reliable and reproducible results. The study emphasizes the need for familiarization trials and careful consideration of individual characteristics, particularly in tetraplegic participants, to account for variability in muscle function and lesion level.

Practical Implications

Performance Monitoring

The 3-minute arm crank test can be used to track changes in exercise performance in athletes with upper body impairments.

Standardized Testing

The detailed protocol ensures consistent testing conditions, enhancing the reliability of results across different individuals and sessions.

Individualized Adjustments

The protocol highlights the importance of adjusting test settings based on the participant's condition (e.g., spinal cord injury level) to obtain meaningful data.

Study Limitations

1
Test-retest reliability might be limited in tetraplegic individuals.
2
The study lacks a test-retest reliability investigation in individuals with a tetraplegia.
3
Standardization of the fixation strategies in participants with a very low core stability is a limitation.

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