Electrical stimulation: can it increase muscle strength and reverse osteopenia in spinal cord injured individuals?

To study the extent to which atrophy of muscle and progressive weakening of the long bones after spinal cord injury (SCI) can be reversed by functional electrical stimulation (FES) and resistance training.

A within-subject, contralateral limb, and matching design.

Research laboratories in university settings.

Fourteen patients with SCI (C5 to T5) and 14 control subjects volunteered for this study.

The left quadriceps were stimulated to contract against an isokinetic load (resisted) while the right quadriceps contracted against gravity (unresisted) for 1 hour a day, 5 days a week, for 24 weeks.

Bone mineral density (BMD) of the distal femur, proximal tibia, and mid-tibia obtained by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, and torque (strength).

Initially, the BMD of SCI subjects was lower than that of controls. After training, the distal femur and proximal tibia had recovered nearly 30% of the bone lost, compared with the controls. There was no difference in the mid-tibia or between the sides at any level. There was a large strength gain, with the rate of increase being substantially greater on the resisted side.

Osteopenia of the distal femur and proximal tibia and the loss of strength of the quadriceps can be partly reversed by regular FES-assisted training.