title: Energetic and cardiovascular responses to treadmill walking and stationary cycling in subjects with incomplete spinal cord injury.
abstract: METHODS
  Randomized controlled trail.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate if people with incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI) can perform high-intensity weight-bearing exercise by comparing cardiovascular responses at maximal workloads during stationary cycling and treadmill walking, and to explore mechanical efficiencies at sub-maximal workloads.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital, Nesoddtangen, Norway.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifteen people with incomplete SCI and 15 healthy control subjects performed sub-maximal and maximal exercise tests of both stationary cycling and uphill treadmill walking on separate days. Oxygen uptake (VO(2); l min(-1) and ml kg(-1) min(-1)), carbon dioxide production (VCO(2); l min(-1)), respiratory exchange ratio (RER) and heart rate (HR) were continuously measured throughout the tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The SCI group showed no significant differences in peak VO(2) (2.42±0.68 l min(-1) versus 2.58±0.76 l min(-1), P=0.19) or other cardiovascular responses at maximal workloads for stationary cycling as compared with uphill treadmill walking, except for higher RER during the cycle test. The control subjects exhibited a significantly higher peak VO(2) during the treadmill test as compared with the cycle test (P=0.007). Both groups had lower mechanical efficiency when walking as compared with cycling, but the mean difference between cycling and walking was not significantly different between the groups during sub-maximal workloads (P >0.24).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Subjects with incomplete SCI were able to perform high-intensity weight-bearing exercise and exhibited similar mechanical efficiencies at sub-maximal workloads as healthy controls. Uphill walking might be a good alternative to weight-bearing exercise for increasing the physical capacity of people with incomplete SCI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Research, Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Wouda
authors.affiliation: Department of Research, Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital, Oslo, Norway.|Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wejden
authors.affiliation: Department of Research, Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lundgaard
authors.affiliation: Department of Research, Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Strøm
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001642:Bicycling / Q000502:physiology*; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055595:Mechanical Phenomena; D008875:Middle Aged; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*