An exercise test to evaluate fitness for wheelchair activity

Abstract

Abstract. The purpose of this study was to develop a wheelchair ergometer (WERG) test to evaluate fitness for manual wheelchair activity.Thirty able-bodied females participated in a progressive intensity, discontinuous test where exercise bouts were 4 min in duration interspersed with 5-min rest periods. Physiological responses of oxygen uptake (V02), respiratory exchange ratio (R), net mechanical efficiency (ME), pulmonary ventilation (VO) and heart rate (HR) were determined during the final minute of exercise at power output (PO) levels of 3 0, 60, 90, 120 and 150 kpm/min. These responses were generally found to be linearly related to PO, however, net ME initially increased with PO and plateaued at approximately I I per cent at 90 kpm/min. Criteria for fitness evaluation were based upon: (I) magnitude of physiological responses at each PO level; and (2) the maximal PO level completed.

Exercise training programs to improve hand rim wheelchair propulsion capacity: a systematic review

“…Other diagnoses included spina bifida (4%), cerebral palsy (2%), traumatic injury (3%), amputees (1%), polio (1%), and bilateral tarsal tunnel syndrome (1%). Table 1 lists eight interval training studies, [21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] of which three included a control group, [26][27][28] though none were randomised controlled trials. Four studies included participants with spinal-cord injury, 21,22,24,25 and three included healthy ambulatory participants.…”

Treadmill exercise testing with increasing inclination as exercise protocol for wheelchair athletes

“…1 The correct determination of VO 2max requires a maximum degree of exertion. An incremental exercise test for wheelchair athletes can be performed on an ergometer with armcranking, 10,11 on a treadmill with increasing velocity, 12 with increasing resistance 4,13 or increasing inclination and increasing velocity. 14 Our athletes reached a VO 2max of 35.1+4.9 ml/min/ kg (Table 2).…”

Lower Limb Endurance Exercise After Spinal Cord Injury: Implications for Health and Functional Ambulation

“…It is well known that an appropriately designed lower limb endurance exercise training program may significantly increase the V02 max of sedentary non-disabled individuals, as well as their stroke volume, cardiac output, 02 arteriovenous difference, and the oxidative capacity of muscle. Similarly, it has been shown that the exercise capacity of able bodied subjects may be increased by upper limb endurance training (12,40,41), although the response is smaller and less consistent than after leg exercise training. A number of studies on the effects of upper limb endurance exercise on individuals with SCI have shown significant increases (18-50%) in V02 max and other corresponding measured parameters (30,32,42), at least if the cord lesion was at T7 or below (44).…”