Reliability of upper extremity anaerobic power assessment in persons with tetraplegia

Reliable assessment of upper extremity anaerobic power in persons with cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) may indicate the ability to successfully and safely perform many daily activities.

To examine test-retest reliability of upper extremity Wingate anaerobic testing (WAnT) in persons with motor/sensory complete tetraplegia.

Forty-five persons with cervical-level SCI (15 individuals each at C5, C6, and C7 levels of injury) performed 2-arm WAnT bouts, with 2 to 4 days between bouts. Subjects performed the WAnT seated in their wheelchairs using a tabletop-mounted Monarch 834E ergometer. Resistance loads were applied relative to injury level, with 1%, 2%, and 3% of body mass applied to subjects with C5, C6, and C7 level injuries, respectively. All subjects were directed to crank the ergometer at maximal velocity for a 30-second period. Values of peak power (Ppeak) and mean power (Pmean) were determined using an SMI OptoSensor 2000 system. Ppeak and Pmean were compared between trials and between groups using 2-way analyses of variance for repeated measures. Coefficients of determination (r2) were calculated between trials.

There were no significant differences in Ppeak or Pmean detected between the 2 trials of WAnT in the C5, C6, or C7 groups. Regression analyses revealed statistically significant associations between bouts for Pmean and Ppeak in each of the 3 groups (P < 0.05).

Upper extremity WAnT is reliable for upper extremity anaerobic power assessment in persons with cervical SCI at or below the C5 level.