Home-based arm cycling exercise improves trunk control in persons with incomplete spinal cord injury: an observational study

Joeri F L van Helden; Emma Alexander; Hélio V Cabral; Paul H Strutton; Eduardo Martinez-Valdes; Deborah Falla; Joy Roy Chowdhury; Shin-Yi Chiou

doi:10.1038/s41598-023-49053-w

Home-based arm cycling exercise improves trunk control in persons with incomplete spinal cord injury: an observational study

Joeri F L van Helden, Emma Alexander, Hélio V Cabral, Paul H Strutton, Eduardo Martinez-Valdes, Deborah Falla, Joy Roy Chowdhury, Shin-Yi Chiou^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences

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Abstract

Arm cycling is used for cardiorespiratory rehabilitation but its therapeutic effects on the neural control of the trunk after spinal cord injury (SCI) remain unclear. We investigated the effects of single session of arm cycling on corticospinal excitability, and the feasibility of home-based arm cycling exercise training on volitional control of the erector spinae (ES) in individuals with incomplete SCI. Using transcranial magnetic stimulation, we assessed motor evoked potentials (MEPs) in the ES before and after 30 min of arm cycling in 15 individuals with SCI and 15 able-bodied controls (Experiment 1). Both groups showed increased ES MEP size after the arm cycling. The participants with SCI subsequently underwent a 6-week home-based arm cycling exercise training (Experiment 2). MEP amplitudes and activity of the ES, and movements of the trunk during reaching, self-initiated rapid shoulder flexion, and predicted external perturbation tasks were measured. After the training, individuals with SCI reached further and improved trajectory of the trunk during the rapid shoulder flexion task, accompanied by increased ES activity and MEP amplitudes. Exercise adherence was excellent. We demonstrate preserved corticospinal drive after a single arm cycling session and the effects of home-based arm cycling exercise training on trunk function in individuals with SCI.

Original language	English
Article number	22120
Journal	Scientific Reports
Volume	13
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-49053-w
Publication status	Published - 13 Dec 2023

Bibliographical note

Funding
This work was supported by the INSPIRE Foundation and the University of Birmingham. The funders had no influence in the design of the study, analysis, interpretation of the data, or in writing the manuscript.

© 2023. The Author(s).

Keywords

Humans
Muscle, Skeletal/physiology
Pyramidal Tracts/physiology
Movement/physiology
Spinal Cord Injuries
Exercise
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
Evoked Potentials, Motor/physiology

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title = "Home-based arm cycling exercise improves trunk control in persons with incomplete spinal cord injury: an observational study",

abstract = "Arm cycling is used for cardiorespiratory rehabilitation but its therapeutic effects on the neural control of the trunk after spinal cord injury (SCI) remain unclear. We investigated the effects of single session of arm cycling on corticospinal excitability, and the feasibility of home-based arm cycling exercise training on volitional control of the erector spinae (ES) in individuals with incomplete SCI. Using transcranial magnetic stimulation, we assessed motor evoked potentials (MEPs) in the ES before and after 30 min of arm cycling in 15 individuals with SCI and 15 able-bodied controls (Experiment 1). Both groups showed increased ES MEP size after the arm cycling. The participants with SCI subsequently underwent a 6-week home-based arm cycling exercise training (Experiment 2). MEP amplitudes and activity of the ES, and movements of the trunk during reaching, self-initiated rapid shoulder flexion, and predicted external perturbation tasks were measured. After the training, individuals with SCI reached further and improved trajectory of the trunk during the rapid shoulder flexion task, accompanied by increased ES activity and MEP amplitudes. Exercise adherence was excellent. We demonstrate preserved corticospinal drive after a single arm cycling session and the effects of home-based arm cycling exercise training on trunk function in individuals with SCI.",

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author = "{van Helden}, {Joeri F L} and Emma Alexander and Cabral, {H{\'e}lio V} and Strutton, {Paul H} and Eduardo Martinez-Valdes and Deborah Falla and Chowdhury, {Joy Roy} and Shin-Yi Chiou",

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AU - van Helden, Joeri F L

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AU - Strutton, Paul H

AU - Martinez-Valdes, Eduardo

AU - Falla, Deborah

AU - Chowdhury, Joy Roy

AU - Chiou, Shin-Yi

N1 - Funding This work was supported by the INSPIRE Foundation and the University of Birmingham. The funders had no influence in the design of the study, analysis, interpretation of the data, or in writing the manuscript. © 2023. The Author(s).

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Y1 - 2023/12/13

N2 - Arm cycling is used for cardiorespiratory rehabilitation but its therapeutic effects on the neural control of the trunk after spinal cord injury (SCI) remain unclear. We investigated the effects of single session of arm cycling on corticospinal excitability, and the feasibility of home-based arm cycling exercise training on volitional control of the erector spinae (ES) in individuals with incomplete SCI. Using transcranial magnetic stimulation, we assessed motor evoked potentials (MEPs) in the ES before and after 30 min of arm cycling in 15 individuals with SCI and 15 able-bodied controls (Experiment 1). Both groups showed increased ES MEP size after the arm cycling. The participants with SCI subsequently underwent a 6-week home-based arm cycling exercise training (Experiment 2). MEP amplitudes and activity of the ES, and movements of the trunk during reaching, self-initiated rapid shoulder flexion, and predicted external perturbation tasks were measured. After the training, individuals with SCI reached further and improved trajectory of the trunk during the rapid shoulder flexion task, accompanied by increased ES activity and MEP amplitudes. Exercise adherence was excellent. We demonstrate preserved corticospinal drive after a single arm cycling session and the effects of home-based arm cycling exercise training on trunk function in individuals with SCI.

AB - Arm cycling is used for cardiorespiratory rehabilitation but its therapeutic effects on the neural control of the trunk after spinal cord injury (SCI) remain unclear. We investigated the effects of single session of arm cycling on corticospinal excitability, and the feasibility of home-based arm cycling exercise training on volitional control of the erector spinae (ES) in individuals with incomplete SCI. Using transcranial magnetic stimulation, we assessed motor evoked potentials (MEPs) in the ES before and after 30 min of arm cycling in 15 individuals with SCI and 15 able-bodied controls (Experiment 1). Both groups showed increased ES MEP size after the arm cycling. The participants with SCI subsequently underwent a 6-week home-based arm cycling exercise training (Experiment 2). MEP amplitudes and activity of the ES, and movements of the trunk during reaching, self-initiated rapid shoulder flexion, and predicted external perturbation tasks were measured. After the training, individuals with SCI reached further and improved trajectory of the trunk during the rapid shoulder flexion task, accompanied by increased ES activity and MEP amplitudes. Exercise adherence was excellent. We demonstrate preserved corticospinal drive after a single arm cycling session and the effects of home-based arm cycling exercise training on trunk function in individuals with SCI.

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KW - Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

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ER -

Home-based arm cycling exercise improves trunk control in persons with incomplete spinal cord injury: an observational study

Abstract

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Keywords

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