CARDIORESPIRATORY ENDURANCE IN PEOPLE WITH CEREBRAL-PALSY MEASURED USING AN ARM ERGOMETER

Objective: To determine whether cardiorespiratory endurance, a compone nt of physical fitness, in people with cerebral palsy (CP) is lower th an that in able-bodied people, and whether the difference: in locomoti on of CP patients affects their cardiorespiratory endurance. Design: N onrandomized control trial. Setting: Referred care center. Subjects: T welve men with CP who were independent in daily life and 7 able-bodied control volunteers. Intervention: Cardiorespiratory endurance of the subjects was measured with an arm ergometer. Main Outcome Measures: Ox ygen consumption (VO2), heart rate (HR), and physical working capacity (PWC) measured during arm ergometer rotation. Results: The 75% VO2 ma x and 75%Hmax did not differ significantly between CP subjects and con trol subjects, or between ambulatory CP subjects and wheelchair-bound CP subjects. However, the PWC at 75%HRmax of the CP subjects was signi ficantly lower than that of the control subjects. Conclusion: Cardiore spiratory endurance does not differ significantly between people with CP and able-bodied people. Type of locomotion does not affect cardiore spiratory endurance. However, the highest PWC performed by the CP subj ects was significantly lower than that of the control subjects. (C) 19 98 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the America n Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.