title: Respiratory muscle training in athletes with spinal cord injury.
abstract: The effect of respiratory muscle endurance training (RMET) on RM function, dyspnoea and exercise performance was evaluated in SCI athletes. Nine endurance athletes (7 paraplegics T4-L1, 2 post-polio syndromes) were evaluated on three occasions (T1-T3), with a 1-month interval between evaluations. Participants performed between T1 and T2 their standard individual exercise training program (control), and between T2 and T3 the same program with 5 additional RMET sessions per week. Each evaluation included: lung function tests, RM strength and endurance tests, a maximal incremental arm cranking test and a field test (simulated competition). Ventilation and dyspnoea were evaluated during each exercise test. Lung function variables and maximal inspiratory strength were not modified (p>0.05) while maximal expiratory strength (+23+/-36 cm H2O; p<0.01) and respiratory endurance (+3 min 33 s+/-2 min 42 s, p<0.01) increased from T2 to T3. During the arm cranking test, exercise duration and maximal power output were slightly increased at T3 compared to T2 (+46+/-39 s, p=0.09 and +8+/-8 W, p=0.08) while ventilation and dyspnoea remained similar. During the field test, exercise time (-10+/-33 s, p=0.37) and ventilation were unchanged but dyspnoea was reduced (-2+/-2 pts, p=0.02) between T2 and T3. We concluded that RMET can improve RM function, reduce the perception of dyspnoea but modifies only slightly exercise performance in SCI athletes.
authors.affiliation: Exercise Research Unit and REX-S Laboratory CHU and Joseph Fourier University, Grenoble, France. sverges@chu-grenoble.fr
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vergès
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Flore
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nantermoz
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Lafaix
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wuyam
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000209:etiology; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000379:methods; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010807:Physical Endurance / Q000502:physiology*; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D012132:Respiratory Muscles / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*