Improved motor function in tetraplegics following neuromuscular stimulation-assisted arm ergometry

The effectiveness of neuromuscular stimulation (NMS)-assisted arm ergometry for strengthening triceps brachii was evaluated in 34 cervical spinal cord injured persons. Group I (n = 12) received eight weeks of NMS-assisted ergometry. Group II (n = 11) received four weeks of NMS-assisted ergometry followed by four weeks of arm ergometry alone. Group III (N = 11) received only arm ergometry (control group). Seventeen of 24 muscles in Group I subjects had improved manual muscle test scores after eight weeks, compared with 10 of 22 Group II muscles and five of 22 Group III muscles. Including only muscles with initial scores < or = 3, Group I demonstrated significant improvements versus Group III after four weeks (p < .003) and after eight weeks (p < .0005) of exercise. A difference was also found between Groups II and III (p < .03) after eight weeks. These results suggest that NMS-assisted ergometry is effective for strengthening voluntary triceps muscle contractions in tetraplegics.