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Updated: May 24, 2026

Evaluation of Respiratory Muscle Activation Using Respiratory Motor Control Assessment (RMCA) in Individuals with Chronic Spinal Cord Injury
Published on: July 19, 2013
Respiratory motor control disrupted by spinal cord injury: mechanisms, evaluation, and restoration
Daniela G L Terson de Paleville1, William B McKay, Rodney J Folz
1Exercise Physiology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA. Physiology and Biophysics, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA.
Abstract:
Pulmonary complications associated with persistent respiratory muscle weakness, paralysis, and spasticity are among the most important problems faced by patients with spinal cord injury when lack of muscle strength and disorganization of reciprocal respiratory muscle control lead to breathing insufficiency. This review describes the mechanisms of the respiratory motor control and its change in individuals with spinal cord injury, methods by which respiratory function is measured, and rehabilitative treatment used to restore respiratory function in those who have experienced such injury.
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