Effect of arm ergometry training on physical work capacity of individuals with spinal cord injuries

The purpose of this study was to evaluate arm cycle ergometry as an aerobic training method in the rehabilitation of individuals with spinal cord injuries. Four male subjects with spinal cord injuries trained for five weeks with arm cycle ergometry. Training sessions were 30 minutes long three times a week at an intensity of 60 to 80 percent of maximal heart rate. Pretraining and posttraining maximal exercise testing consisting of noncontinuous, multistage graded arm ergometry was completed by each subject. Heart rates, oxygen consumption, and work loads were measured. Mean increases of 64.32 percent and 60.54 percent were found for posttraining maximal work loads and maximal oxygen consumption values, respectively. A paired t test (p less than .05) revealed that only the change in posttraining mean maximal oxygen consumption value to be statistically significant. That only this value was significant may be attributable to the small sample size and the large intersubject variability. Implications of these results for clinicians and the limitations of the study are discussed.