ELECTRICAL STIMULATION-ASSISTED ROWING EXERCISE IN SPINAL-CORD INJURED PEOPLE - A PILOT-STUDY

Recently a FES (functional electrical stimulation)-assisted rowing mac hine was developed to enhance cardiovascular training in people with s pinal cord injuries. The machine was assessed in terms of its efficacy as a training tool. Six patients who were quadriplegic (C6-T1) and 2 who were paraplegic (T3-6) completed a series of three tests in succes sion: (1) leg stimulation only (quadriceps and hamstring groups)-'Stim ', (2) arm row only-'Row' and (3) simultaneous row and stimulation-'R & S'. Measurements recorded included oxygen uptake (VO2), minute venti lation (Ve), respiratory exchange ratio (RER), heart rate (HR) and blo od pressure (BP). In addition, 6 out of the 8 subjects took part in a qualitative assessment comprising a guided interview exploring the sub ject's perception of the machine and test. Significant increases in VO 2 were demonstrated between the three tests with R & S producing mean steady-state values of 16.34 nm (+/- 0.74) ml/kg/min (83% of maximum). These values represented a 12% increase, over Row alone. Of interest was the qualitative assessment which revealed that subjects perceived R & S to be easier than Row despite the higher levels of VO2 observed. The results suggest that the rowing machine represents a potentially valuable hybrid training device that may significantly reduce risk fac tors for cardiovascular disease and improve the quality of life of peo ple with SCI.