Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2008;31(2):215-21.
doi: 10.1080/10790268.2008.11760715.

Outcomes of a home cycling program using functional electrical stimulation or passive motion for children with spinal cord injury: a case series

Therese E Johnston  1 , Brian T Smith, Oluwabunmi Oladeji, Randal R Betz, Richard T Lauer
Affiliations
Case Reports

Outcomes of a home cycling program using functional electrical stimulation or passive motion for children with spinal cord injury: a case series

Therese E Johnston et al. J Spinal Cord Med. 2008.

Abstract

Background/objective: Children with spinal cord injury (SCI) are at risk for musculoskeletal and cardiovascular complications. Stationary cycling using functional electrical stimulation (FES) or passive motion has been suggested to address these complications. The purpose of this case series is to report the outcomes of a 6-month at-home cycling program for 4 children with SCI.

Methods: Two children cycled with FES and 2 cycled passively at home for 1 hour, 3 times per week.

Outcome measures: Data collected included bone mineral density of the left femoral neck, distal femur, and proximal tibia; quadriceps and hamstring muscle volume; stimulated quadriceps and hamstring muscle strength; a fasting lipid profile; and heart rate and oxygen consumption during incremental upper extremity ergometry testing.

Results: The 2 children cycling with FES and 1 child cycling passively exhibited improved bone mineral density, muscle volume, stimulated quadriceps strength, and lower resting heart rate. For the second child cycling passively, few changes were realized. Overall, the lipid results were inconsistent, with some positive and some negative changes seen.

Conclusions: This case series suggests that cycling with or without FES may have positive health benefits and was a practical home exercise option for these children with SCI.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. A child with a spinal cord injury using the functional electrical stimulation cycle.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Vitale MG, Goss JM, Matsumoto MA, Roye DP. Epidemiology of pediatric spinal cord injury in the United States. J Pediatr Orthop. 2006;26:745–749. - PubMed
    1. Annual Report for the Model Spinal Cord Injury Care Systems. National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center. 2006. Available at: http://www.uab.edu/images/spinalcord/pdffiles/facts05.pdf. Accessed December 20, 2006.
    1. Vogel LC, Klaas SJ, Lubicky JP, Anderson CJ. Long-term outcomes and life satisfaction of adults who had pediatric spinal cord injuries. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1998;79:1496–1503. - PubMed
    1. Scremin AM, Kurta L, Gentili A, et al. Increasing muscle mass in spinal cord injured persons with a functional electrical stimulation exercise program. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1999;80:1531–1536. - PubMed
    1. Hjeltnes N, Aksnes AK, Birkeland KI, et al. Improved body composition after 8 wk of electrically stimulated leg cycling in tetraplegic patients. Am J Physiol. 1997;273:R1072–R1079. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms