Exercise intensity during exergaming in wheelchair-dependent persons with SCI

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Exercise Physiology
• Assistive Technology

Background:

• Finding suitable aerobic exercise is challenging for wheelchair-dependent individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI).
• Exergaming presents a potentially accessible and motivating home-based exercise solution.
• The exercise intensity of exergaming for SCI populations remains largely unquantified.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if exergaming can be performed at a sufficient exercise intensity for health benefits in wheelchair-dependent individuals with SCI.
• To assess the feasibility of exergaming as an aerobic exercise modality for this population.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 24 individuals with chronic SCI (AIS A-C) who use wheelchairs.
• Participants underwent a maximal graded arm-crank test to establish peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) and peak heart rate (HRpeak).
• Exercise intensity during 45 minutes of exergaming (three different games) was monitored using VO2peak and HRpeak metrics.

Main Results:

• Approximately 30 out of 45 minutes of exergaming were performed at moderate (50-80% VO2peak) or high (>80% VO2peak) intensity.
• Participants exercised an average of 24.5 minutes at moderate intensity and 6.6 minutes at high intensity.

Conclusions:

• Exergaming allows wheelchair-dependent individuals with SCI to exercise at moderate to high intensities for a significant duration.
• Exergaming appears to be a suitable modality for providing health-promoting aerobic exercise for individuals with SCI.
• This technology offers a promising avenue for improving cardiovascular health in this population.