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Updated: Mar 6, 2026
Experimental Protocol of a Three-minute, All-out Arm Crank Exercise Test in Spinal-cord Injured and Able-bodied Individuals
Published on: June 8, 2017
Arm-Cranking Exercise Training Reduces Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 in People With Spinal Cord Injury
Masahiro Horiuchi1, Koichi Okita2
1Division of Human Environmental Science, Mt. Fuji Research Institute, Fuji-yoshida-city, Yamanashi, Japan; Northern Region of Life Long Sports Center, Hokusho University, Ebetsu-city, Hokkaido, Japan.
Objective:
To investigate the effects of arm-cranking exercise training on plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) as a risk factor of deep vein thrombosis, along with general physical parameters such as muscle strength, aerobic capacity, and hemodynamics, in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) and control subjects.
Design:
Longitudinal study.
Setting:
Community-based supervised intervention.
Participants:
Participants (N=17) comprised individuals with SCI (n=9) who volunteered for this study, and able-bodied individuals (n=8) matched for age, height, and body mass index who were assessed at baseline only.
Intervention:
The arm-cranking exercise program was performed for 10 weeks with 4 sessions per week. Sessions consisted of 2 sets of warmup (5min) and arm crank exercises (25min) with a 10-minute recovery at an intensity of 50% to 70% of heart rate reserve.
Main Outcome Measures:
Body mass (BM), waist circumference (WC), aerobic capacity (peak oxygen consumption [Vo2peak]), PAI-1, blood pressure, glucose metabolism, and lipids.
Results:
PAI-1, BM, WC, systolic blood pressure, and triglycerides (TG) decreased, and Vo2peak increased after training (P<.05, respectively). Spearman rank-order analysis revealed that changes in PAI-1 were related to changes in Vo2peak, BM, WC, TG, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that WC was the most sensitive factor for predicting changes in PAI-1 (P=.038).
Conclusions:
These results suggest that 10 weeks of arm-cranking exercise training for people with SCI may help to reduce the risk factors of cardiovascular disease. In addition, changes in abdominal fat may be related to changes in PAI-1 in the SCI population.
