Physiological responses to FNS exercise in SCI children

Maximal physiological responses during voluntary arm cranking exercise (ACE) are compared with responses for two modes of exercise elicited by functional neuromuscular stimulation of the paralyzed lower extremities (FNS-LE) of four T5-T7 paraplegic boys, aged 15 to 17 years. Simultaneous percutaneous stimulation of the gluteal and quadriceps muscles in combination with ACE yields a hybrid exercise modality which is compared with ACE and FNS-LE alone. Open circuit spirometry, electrocardiography, and auscultation are used to monitor metabolic and hemodynamic responses. The results show that FNS-LE and hybrid exercise both provide significant cardiopulmonary stress as compared to resting values. The hybrid modality places significantly greater demands than ACE or FNS-LE