Muscular endurance and wheelchair propulsion in children with cerebral palsy or myelomeningocele.
Bivariate correlations between muscular endurance or resistance used during six-repetition maximum (6-RM) for eight upper body exercises (shoulder flexion, extension, abduction, internal and external rotation, elbow flexion, extension and shoulder flexion/elbow extension (bench press), 50-meter dash, and 12-minute wheelchair propulsion tests were examined in six children with diagnoses of cerebral palsy or myelomeningocele. Correlations were determined before and after resistance training. Before training, only elbow extension correlated significantly with the 12-minute test. Following training, significant correlations (p less than or equal to 0.05) were found between all 6-RM exercises and 12-minute test scores. Additionally, significant correlations were found between all 6-RM exercises (except elbow flexion, which approached significance) and 50-meter dash scores. The results of this clinical case investigation indicate that the relationship between muscular endurance (6-RM) and wheelchair propulsion improves as muscular endurance increases.
O'Connell
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DG
Program in Physical Therapy Education, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio 78284-7781.
Barnhart
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R
Parks
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D000293:Adolescent; D001132:Arm / Q000502:physiology; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015444:Exercise; D006801:Humans; D008591:Meningomyelocele / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000502:physiology*; D010807:Physical Endurance; D010865:Pilot Projects; D014910:Wheelchairs