Physical Fitness and Exercise Strategy According to General Characteristics of Spinal Cord Injured Person

Abstract

PURPOSE Spinal cord injuries cause a decrease in overall body function after spinal cord injury. The physical fitness of the spinal cord injured person varies greatly depending on the level of injury, physical activity, and the use of a wheelchair. Therefore, exercise prescription programs that take into account the type of disability of the spinal cord injuries will help improve physical fitness. The purpose of this study was to identify the physical characteristics of spinal cord injured people by examining previous studies and to suggest strategies for applying effective exercise programs. METHODS This study was conducted to investigate previous studies and to present the physical characteristics of spinal cord injuries according to spinal cord injury level, physical activity level and wheelchair use, and to determine the appropriate exercise test method and effective exercise prescription strategy. RESULTS This study suggested the exercise test method considering the physical characteristics of the spinal cord injured people and the NMES exercise program for the cardiorespiratory capacity enhancement exercise program and the NMES exercise program for the prevention of the lower extremity muscle activity. CONCLUSIONS The application of a customized exercise prescription program for spinal cord injuries would have a positive effect on the prevention of secondary complications due to spinal cord injury and improvement of the quality of life of people with spinal cord injury. Based on the results of this study, we expect that the scientific exercise prescription program will be applied to people with spinal cord injuries.

Keywords

• spinal cord injury
• physical fitness
• exercise prescription
• exercise test