Wheelchair rugby improves pulmonary function in people with tetraplegia after 1 year of training

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of 1 year of regular wheelchair rugby training on the pulmonary function of subjects with tetraplegia. A total of 15 male subjects with tetraplegia participated in this study and were divided into an experimental group of rugby players (n = 8) and a control group (n = 7) of sedentary tetraplegic subjects. Both groups underwent spirometry, and the experimental group was tested before and after participating of a regular 1-year program of wheelchair rugby training. At the beginning of the training program, all the subjects presented reduced pulmonary function compared with predicted values (p < 0.05) for healthy subjects. There were a significant increase in forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expired volume after 1 second (FEV1), and maximal voluntary ventilation (MVV, p < 0.05) values after 1 year of regular wheelchair rugby training. The regression analysis between total training time and spirometric variables FVC (r = 0.97, p < 0.0001) and MVV (r = 0.58, p = 0.02) revealed that the players with longer training time had higher pulmonary function values. This study showed that regular wheelchair rugby training can improve the pulmonary function of subjects with spinal cord injuries.