Body composition changes after 12 months of FES cycling: case report of a 60-year-old female with paraplegia

Single-subject (female, 60 years of age) case. The purpose of this case report is to document body composition changes in a 60-year-old female with chronic paraplegia after 12 months of home-based functional electrical stimulation lower extremities cycling (FES-LEC). Home-based FES-LEC with internet connection. Southeastern United States. FES-LEC three sessions per week for 12 months in participant's home and monitored by the research staff via internet connection. Pre- and post-exercise program testing for body composition including percent body fat, fat mass (FM), lean mass (LM) and whole-body bone mineral density (BMD) via dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). There was a 7.7% increase in total body LM and a 4.1% increase in legs LM. There was a 1.2% decrease in total body FM and a 9.9% decrease in legs FM. Percent body fat decreased from 48.4 to 46.3 and whole-body BMD was increased from 0.934 to 1.023, which resulted in an improvement in the DXA T-score from -2.4 to -1.3. Positive body compositional changes during this study support the idea that long-term FES-LEC can help restore healthier ratios of LM and FM and possibly decrease the risk of associated diseases. Increased whole-body BMD provides hope that long-term FES-LEC may be beneficial regarding bone health

Improving the Efficiency of Electrical Stimulation Activities After Spinal Cord Injury

In order to enhance spinal cord injury (SCI) rehabilitation programs using neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) and functional electrical stimulation (FES) it is important to examine the manner in which muscle fibers are recruited and the dose–response relationship. A review of the literature suggests that premature force decline and early fatigue with NMES and FES activities may be alleviated with decreased current frequency and increased current intensity. Dose–response relationships with NMES and FES are dependent on the goals of interest as reversing muscle atrophy can be achieved with activities 2–3 times per week for 6 or more weeks while increasing bone mass is more limited and requires more intense activity with greater exercise frequency and duration, e.g., 3–5 days per week for at least 6–12 months. The best known protocol to elicit neurological improvement is massed practice activities-based restorative therapies (ABRT) (3–5 h per day for several weeks)

Home-based exercise program in TSP/HAM individuals: a feasibility and effectiveness study

Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas. Serviço de Fisioterapia. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas. Laboratório de Pesquisa Clínica em Neuroinfecção. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas. Laboratório de Pesquisa Clínica em Neuroinfecção. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas. Laboratório de Pesquisa Clínica em Neuroinfecção. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas. Serviço de Fisioterapia. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas. Serviço de Fisioterapia. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas. Laboratório de Epidemiologia Clínica. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Centro Universitário Augusto Motta. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Reabilitação. Laboratório de Simulação Computacional e Modelagem em Reabilitação. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil / Universidade Salgado de Oliveira. Programa de Graduação em Fisioterapia. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas. Laboratório de Pesquisa Clínica em Neuroinfecção. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Objetivo: Investigar a viabilidade e eficácia de um programa de exercícios domiciliares (PED) em indivíduos com PET/MAH. Métodos: 23 indivíduos com PET/MAH divididos em dois grupos conforme teste Timed Up and Go - TUG (<20s vs ≥20s) realizaram o PED durante 20 semanas. Desfechos primários – adesão aos exercícios, contração isométrica voluntária máxima dos membros inferiores (CIVM), Índice de Barthel e SF-36. Desfechos secundários – ocorrência de eventos adversos e presença de barreiras à prática de exercícios. Resultados: CIVM e componente “Aspectos Sociais” da SF-36 aumentaram significativamente no grupo TUG <20s. Os indivíduos do grupo TUG ≥20s aumentaram significativamente componente “Capacidade Funcional” da SF-36. A adesão ao PED foi de 90%. Foram observados eventos adversos de intensidade leve a moderada relacionados ao PED. Não foram encontrados eventos adversos relacionados à CIVM. Conclusões: O PED é viável e eficaz em melhorar a incapacidade e a qualidade de vida de indivíduos com PET/MAH.Objective: To investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of a home-based exercise program in TSP/HAM individuals. Methods: Twenty-three TSP/HAM individuals divided in two groups according to Timed Up and Go (TUG) score (<20s vs ≥20s) performed a 20-week home-based exercise program. The primary outcomes were exercise adherence, maximum voluntary isometric contraction of lower limbs (MVIC), Barthel Index and SF-36. Secondary outcomes were adverse effects and barriers to exercise practice. Results: MVIC and the social functioning domain in SF-36 improved significantly in TUG <20s group. The individuals in the TUG ≥20s group improved significantly their physical functioning domain in SF-36. The total adherence to the 20-week home-based exercise program was 90%. There were mild to moderate adverse events related to exercise program. There were no adverse events related to MVIC test. Conclusions: The home-based exercise program was feasible and effective in improving disability and quality of life in individuals with TSP/HAM