S-1-04-05
PHYSICAL ENDURANCE CAPACITY, METABOLIC AND PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES ON PARAPLEGICS ELECTRICALLY-INDUCED WALKING
H.A. Cerrel-Bazo M.D., A. Rizzertto P.T., D. Paulette P.T., A. Bolner D.Sc., R. Bogoni B.Sc., L. Caldana M.D.: Centre di Neuroriabilitazione e Ricerca di Villa Margherita, Arcugnano, Vicenza, Italy. S.W. Brown Ph.D., J.D.: Metropolitan State Hospital, Norwalk California, USA.
Purpose: Two research studies were conducted to shed light on the metabolic costs, lactic acid production, autonomic system responses, sweating rates, physical endurance capacity for paraplegics walking with an electrically induced walking system (EIWS) and to compare metabolic data between EIWS users and the Steeper Advanced Reciprocating Gait Orthosis (ARGO) walkers. Materials and Methods: 15 spinal cord injury (SCI) subjects were able to deambulate using the EIWS. The EIWS was a hybrid system composed of the Parastep system and an articulated AFO. All data regarding walking was collected under standard conditions (air conditioned room). Study 1: Data was collected from 6 SCI subjects. 3 SCI were EIWS walkers and 3 were ARGO walkers. Study 2: Compare physiological variables related to walking between able body individuals and SCI subjects walking with an EIWS. Two paraplegics and two sedentary non-paralized nurses were studied. Results: Study 1: The Parastep group showed higher stastically significant (p<.001) values for almost all the variables analysed when compare to the ARGO group. At a SPMS (self preferred maximum speed) for 45 minutes the Post-hoc analysis showed a higher metabolic efficiency for the Control group compare to the Parastep and ARGO group. Study 2: During the walking condition the metabolic and physiological responses were significantly higher for the Parastep group. Statisticaly significant differences were reported for lactic acid, O2-Pulse, ventilation and catecholamnines, higher for the Parastep group. The Parastep group total sweat rate mean was 17.2 mL/h compared to 1.4 mL/h for the Control group. Recovery post walking data showed NO statiscally significance differences between the Control and the Parastep group. Conclusion: The E1WS in well selected and trained SCI subjects appears to be a good exercise tool that can allow some SCI paraplegics to deambulate for distances above 1/2 a kilometer at speeds between 15-20 m/min.
