Improvements in Bladder Function Following Activity-Based Recovery Training With Epidural Stimulation After Chronic Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) often leads to bladder dysfunction, impacting quality of life. Current treatments manage complications but don't restore function. This study explores activity-based recovery training with spinal cord stimulation (scES) to improve bladder function after SCI. Researchers tested activity-based recovery training combined with scES on bladder function. They found improvements in bladder storage parameters compared to a control group without intervention. However, blood pressure elevations during bladder distention weren't reduced with training. The study also examined the relationship between bladder pressure and blood pressure, revealing a disruption in this relationship after SCI. The findings suggest that integrating scES for both bladder and cardiovascular function could further enhance bladder storage by addressing autonomic instability.

• 1
  Activity-based recovery training with scES improved bladder capacity relative to baseline and to a usual care cohort.
• 2
  ABRT-scES significantly decreased detrusor pressure post-training, with most participants having detrusor leak point pressure below 40 cmH2O.
• 3
  The study found that ABRT-scES did not attenuate bladder-distention associated increases in systolic blood pressure.