Objective: The purpose of this study was to simultaneously measure metabolic function and EMG activation of the lower legs during incremental changes in treadmill velocity during one session of locomotor training using body weight support (BWS). Method: All of the 8 participants with a spinal cord injury (SCI; 5 individuals with tetraplegia and 3 individuals with paraplegia) were 100% wheelchair reliant. The initial treadmill velocity was 1.0 mph (0.447 m/s); after every 15 strides, the treadmill velocity was increased by 0.1 mph (0.045 m/s). Results: With incremental increases in treadmill velocity, for the individuals with tetraplegia there was a significant increase in VO2 (p ⩽ .05), VE (p ⩽ .05), and left rectus femoris mean amplitude (p ⩽ .05). Conclusions: Our preliminary results suggest that incremental increases in treadmill velocity impart increases in neural activation, muscle activation, and metabolic responses for individuals with motor complete and incomplete, nonambulatory SCI. Further this “one time” testing session suggests that passive-assisted locomotor training increases metabolic demand, and thus work performed, by peripheral muscle activation despite muscle paralysis.
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Original Article|
July 30 2008
Locomotor Training with Incremental Changes in Velocity: Muscle and Metabolic Responses
Forrest;
Forrest
1
Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Human Performance and Movement Analysis Laboratory, Kessler Medical Rehabilitation Research and Education Center and UMDNJ, West Orange, New Jersey and Newark, New Jersey
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Sisto;
Sisto
2
Division of Rehabilitation Sciences, School of Health Technology and Management, Health Sciences Center Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
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Asselin;
Asselin
3
Department of Veterans Affairs Rehabilitation Research, Development Center of Excellence for the Medical Consequences of Spinal Cord Injury, Bronx, New York
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Mores;
Mores
4
Kessler Medical Rehabilitation Research, Education Corporation, West Orange, New Jersey
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LaFountaine;
LaFountaine
6
Department of Veterans Affairs Rehabilitation Research, Development Center of Excellence for the Medical Consequences of Spinal Cord Injury, Bronx, New York
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Harkema
Harkema
7
Department of Neurological Surgery, Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of Louisville, and Director of Research Frazier Rehab Institute, Louisville, Kentucky
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Top Spinal Cord Inj Rehabil (2008) 14 (1): 16–22.
Citation
Forrest, Sisto, Asselin, Mores, Bond, LaFountaine, Harkema; Locomotor Training with Incremental Changes in Velocity: Muscle and Metabolic Responses. Top Spinal Cord Inj Rehabil 1 July 2008; 14 (1): 16–22. doi: https://doi.org/10.1310/sci1401-16
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