Soleus H--Reflex Modulation After Motor Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: Effects of Body Position and Walking Speed

This study investigates how spinal cord injury (SCI) affects the way reflexes in the soleus muscle (calf muscle) change with body position and walking speed. The H-reflex, a measure of spinal cord excitability, was examined in individuals with incomplete SCI and compared to non-injured individuals. The study found that individuals with SCI had impaired reflex modulation, meaning their reflexes did not adjust to changes in position or walking speed as effectively as those without SCI.

• 1
  H-reflexes were significantly greater after SCI in all positions compared with noninjured people.
• 2
  Position-dependent modulation from semireclined to standing was absent after SCI.
• 3
  H-reflex modulation was not significantly different at 1.2 m/s compared with 0.6 m/s treadmill walking speed in SCI patients.