Physical endurance capacity, functional status and medical complications in spinal cord injured subjects with long-standing lesions

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Abstract
Seventy two spinal cord injured subjects (63 males and 9 females) with long-standing lesions ( 110 months, range 43-187) were admitted to the Sunnaas Hospital for routine examination (questionaire, neurological status, radiography, urodynamics, blood specimen, and physical endurance capacity during armergometry). The subjects were divided into three groups with Low-(peak O2 < 15 ml/kg/min), Medium-(15< O2 > 25) and High-(O2 > 25) endurance capacity. The rate of urinary tract infections (UTIs) and osteoporotic leg bones, was significantly reduced with increasing oxygen uptake (p < 0.05, X2 test). Differences in scores for ADL-independency (ADL = Activities of daily living) and ambulation on crutches with braces, were even more pronounced between the L, M and H groups (p < 0.001). The The same trends, although not always stastically significant, were also observed in a homogeneous group of paraplegic patients (n = 43, injury level below T6). The results emphasise the importance of regular physical endurance activities to patient well-being, because relatively high endurance capacity was found to be related to less frequent medical complications, and to a higher degree of ADL self-independency.

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