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Updated: May 24, 2026
Paradigms of Lower Extremity Electrical Stimulation Training After Spinal Cord Injury
Published on: February 1, 2018
Can the efficacy of electrically stimulated pedaling using a commercially available ergometer BE improved by
Nils A Hakansson1, Maury L Hull
1Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Delaware, 126 Spencer Laboratory, Newark, Delaware 19711, USA. nilsh@udel.edu
Introduction:
The cardiorespiratory and muscular strength benefits of functional electrical stimulation (FES) pedaling for spinal cord injury (SCI) subjects are limited because the endurance of electrically stimulated muscle is low.
Methods:
We tested new electrical stimulation timing patterns (Stim3, designed using a forward dynamic simulation to minimize the muscle stress-time integral) to determine whether SCI subjects could increase work and metabolic responses when pedaling a commercial FES ergometer. Work, rate of oxygen uptake (VO(2)), and blood lactate data were taken from 11 subjects (injury level T4-T12) on repeated trials.
Results:
Subjects performed 11% more work pedaling with Stim3 than with existing stimulation patterns (StimErg) (P = 0.043). Average (VO(2)) and blood lactate concentrations were not significantly different between Stim3 (442 ml/min, 5.9 mmol/L) and StimErg (417 ml/min, 5.9 mmol/L).
Conclusion:
The increased mechanical work performed with Stim3 supports the use of patterns that minimize the muscle stress-time integral to prolong FES pedaling.
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