Post-exercise heart rate recovery in individuals with spinal cord injury.
METHODS
Prospective comparison of spinal cord injured (SCI) subjects and ambulatory subjects.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the effects of the presence and level of SCI on heart rate recovery (HRR).


METHODS
Outpatient SCI center.


METHODS
HRR was determined in 63 SCI subjects (26 with tetraplegia, 22 with high-level paraplegia, 15 with low-level paraplegia) and 26 ambulatory subjects. To adjust for differences in heart rate reserve between groups (HR peak minus HR rest), HRR was also 'normalized' to a range of 1 at peak heart rate and to 0 at 8 min, and the shapes of HRR curves were compared.


RESULTS
Although absolute HRR was similar between high- and low-level paraplegia, it was significantly more rapid in participants with paraplegia at 2, 5 and 8 min after exercise than in those with tetraplegia (39+/-14 vs 29+/-14 b.p.m., P<0.05; 51+/-14 vs 33+/-16 b.p.m., P<0.01 and 52+/-16 vs 36+/-17 b.p.m., P<0.01, respectively). HRR among ambulatory subjects was more rapid than among those with tetraplegia at all time points in recovery. However, when normalized for heart rate reserve, HRR was significantly more rapid in tetraplegic subjects (P<0.001 vs paraplegia and ambulatory subjects).


CONCLUSIONS
In SCI, HRR is strongly associated with the peak exercise level and peak heart rate achieved during exercise testing.
Myers
J N
JN
Spinal Cord Injury Center, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA. drj993@aol.com
Hsu
L
L
Hadley
D
D
Lee
M Y
MY
Kiratli
B J
BJ
D000328:Adult; D020211:Autonomic Dysreflexia / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology*; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology