Evidence-based exercise prescription for individuals with spinal cord injury

Individuals with spinal cord injury can benefit from regular exercise. Exercise prescription for these individuals is based on the same 4 principles of exercise used for nondisabled individuals. The purpose of this paper is to describe a process by which physical therapists may generate an exercise prescription for individuals with SCI.

Examination of the individual with SCI to identify occult disease and/or impairments that can cause adverse events or limit participation in the exercise session is outlined. The 4 principles of exercise: overload, specificity, individuality, and reversibility are defined. Guidelines for achieving overload, which include both aerobic and anaerobic training, are outlined in detail. The literature on specificity of training for individuals with SCI is highlighted.