Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the present study was to characterize hypothesized relationships among fatigability and cardiorespiratory fitness in individuals with chronic motor-incomplete SCI (iSCI) during treadmill walking. The theoretical framework was that exacerbated fatigability would occur concomitantly with diminished cardiorespiratory fitness in people with iSCI.
Methods
Subjects with iSCI (n = 8) and an able-bodied reference group (REF) (n = 8) completed a 6-min walking bout followed by a walking bout of 30-min or until volitional exhaustion, both at a self-selected walking speed. Fatigability was assessed using both perceived fatigability and performance fatigability measures. Pulmonary oxygen uptake kinetics (VO2 on-kinetics) was measured breath-by-breath and changes in deoxygenated hemoglobin/myoglobin concentration (∆[HHb]) of the lateral gastrocnemius was measured by near-infrared spectroscopy. Adjustment of VO2 and ∆[HHb] on-kinetics were modeled using a mono-exponential equation.
Results
Perceived fatigability and performance fatigability were 52% and 44% greater in the iSCI group compared to the REF group (p = 0.003 and p = 0.004). Phase II time constant (τp) of VO2 on-kinetics and ∆[HHb] ½ time during resting arterial occlusion were 55.4% and 16.3% slower in iSCI vs REF (p < 0.01 and p = 0.047, respectively).
Conclusions
The results of the present study may suggest that compromised O2 delivery and/or utilization may have contributed to the severity of fatigability in these individuals with iSCI. The understanding of the extent to which fatigability and VO2 and Δ[HHb] on-kinetics impacts locomotion after iSCI will assist in the future development of targeted interventions to enhance function.
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Abbreviations
- AIS:
-
American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale
- AMP:
-
VO2 amplitude
- ANOVA:
-
Analysis of variance
- BMI:
-
Body mass index
- BSL:
-
Baseline VO2
- cm:
-
Centimeter
- CWR:
-
Constant work-rate
- ECG:
-
Electrocardiography
- HR:
-
Heart rate
- ∆[HHb]:
-
Change in deoxygenated myoglobin/hemoglobin concentration
- ∆[HHb]AMP :
-
∆[HHb] amplitude
- ∆[HHb]capacity :
-
∆[HHb] capacity
- ∆[HHb] ½ time:
-
∆[HHb] half-time
- ∆[HHb]-MRT:
-
∆[HHb] mean response time
- iSCI:
-
Incomplete spinal cord injury
- kg:
-
Kilogram
- ml/min:
-
Milliliter per minute
- m/s:
-
Meters per second
- NIRS:
-
Near-infrared spectroscopy
- O2 :
-
Oxygen
- ∆[O2Hb]:
-
Change in oxygenated myoglobin/hemoglobin concentration
- REF:
-
Non-injured reference group
- s:
-
Seconds
- SCI:
-
Spinal cord injury
- SD:
-
Standard deviation
- TD-∆[HHb]:
-
∆[HHb] time-delay
- TDp:
-
VO2 time-delay
- τ-∆[HHb]:
-
∆[HHb] time constant
- τp:
-
VO2 time constant
- TSI:
-
Tissue saturation index
- ∆[tHb]:
-
Change in total myoglobin/hemoglobin concentration
- VO2 on-kinetics:
-
Pulmonary oxygen uptake kinetics
- VO2peak :
-
Peak oxygen uptake
- ∆VO2(t):
-
VO2 as a function of time
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to express their appreciation to the doctoral students of the Department of Rehabilitation Science at George Mason University who assisted with the completion of the study.
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Communicated by I. Mark Olfert.
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Gollie, J.M., Herrick, J.E., Keyser, R.E. et al. Fatigability, oxygen uptake kinetics and muscle deoxygenation in incomplete spinal cord injury during treadmill walking. Eur J Appl Physiol 117, 1989–2000 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-017-3685-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-017-3685-y