Study design: Randomized controlled trial of exercise training in persons with spinal cord injury. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the e ects of 9 months of twice-weekly exercise training on strength, arm ergometry performance, and indices of psychological wellbeing and quality of life. Setting: Centre for Health Promotion and Rehabilitation, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Methods: Thirty-four men and women (aged 19 ± 65 years) with traumatic spinal cord injury (C4 ± L1; ASIA A ± D) of 1 ± 24 years duration volunteered to participate, and were randomized into exercise (EX; n=21) and control (CON; n=13) groups. Twenty-three subjects (11 EX; 12 CON) successfully completed the 9-month study. Subjects were assessed for one repetition maximum (1RM) strength, arm ergometry performance, and several indices of quality of life and psychological well-being at baseline, 3, 6, and 9 months. Results: At baseline, there were no signi®cant di erences between groups in age, submaximal arm ergometry performance, muscle strength, or psychological well-being. Following training, the EX group had signi®cant increases in submaximal arm ergometry power output (81%; P50.05), and signi®cant increases in upper body muscle strength (19 ± 34%; P50.05); no signi®cant changes occurred in CON. Participants in EX reported signi®cantly less pain, stress and depression after training, and scored higher than CON in indices of satisfaction with physical function, level of perceived health and overall quality of life (P50.05). Exercise adherence (per cent of prescribed sessions attended) in those subjects who completed the 9 months of training was 82.5%.Conclusions: These results demonstrate that long-term twice-weekly exercise training in this population is feasible, and results in signi®cant gains in both physical and psychological wellbeing.

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Symptoms of spasticity are often experienced by individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) following a period of spinal shock and, in many cases, these symptoms negatively affect quality of life. Despite its prevalence, spasticity as a syndrome in the SCI population is not always managed effectively. This is likely due to the fact that the syndrome can have various presentations, each with their own specific etiology. This overview summarizes the symptoms and pathophysiology of the various presentations of spasticity in the SCI population and discusses the currently accepted management techniques. There is a need for a better understanding of the syndrome of spasticity as well as the development of a valid and reliable assessment tool.

Our purpose was to examine the effects of sprint interval training on muscle glycolytic and oxidative enzyme activity and exercise performance. Twelve healthy men (22 +/- 2 yr of age) underwent intense interval training on a cycle ergometer for 7 wk. Training consisted of 30-s maximum sprint efforts (Wingate protocol) interspersed by 2-4 min of recovery, performed three times per week. The program began with four intervals with 4 min of recovery per session in week 1 and progressed to 10 intervals with 2.5 min of recovery per session by week 7. Peak power output and total work over repeated maximal 30-s efforts and maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 max) were measured before and after the training program. Needle biopsies were taken from vastus lateralis of nine subjects before and after the program and assayed for the maximal activity of hexokinase, total glycogen phosphorylase, phosphofructokinase, lactate dehydrogenase, citrate synthase, succinate dehydrogenase, malate dehydrogenase, and 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase. The training program resulted in significant increases in peak power output, total work over 30 s, and VO2 max. Maximal enzyme activity of hexokinase, phosphofructokinase, citrate synthase, succinate dehydrogenase, and malate dehydrogenase was also significantly (P < 0.05) higher after training. It was concluded that relatively brief but intense sprint training can result in an increase in both glycolytic and oxidative enzyme activity, maximum short-term power output, and VO2 max.

Research on muscle fatigue suggests that greater fatigue resistance may be evident in females compared with males. The possible mechanisms for this sex difference include factors related to muscle mass, substrate utilization, muscle morphology, and neuromuscular activation.