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Review
. 2022 Nov;11(6):671-680.
doi: 10.1016/j.jshs.2020.10.002. Epub 2020 Oct 14.

Contributions of the Cybathlon championship to the literature on functional electrical stimulation cycling among individuals with spinal cord injury: A bibliometric review

Puteri Nur Farhana Hamdan  1 , Nur Azah Hamzaid  2 , Nasrul Anuar Abd Razak  1 , Nazirah Hasnan  3
Affiliations
Review

Contributions of the Cybathlon championship to the literature on functional electrical stimulation cycling among individuals with spinal cord injury: A bibliometric review

Puteri Nur Farhana Hamdan et al. J Sport Health Sci. 2022 Nov.

Abstract

Background: Due to its clinically proven safety and health benefits, functional electrical stimulation (FES) cycling has become a popular exercise modality for individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). Since its inception in 2013, the Cybathlon championship has been a platform for publicizing the potential of FES cycling in rehabilitation and exercise for individuals with SCI. This study aimed to evaluate the contribution of the Cybathlon championship to the literature on FES cycling for individuals with SCI 3 years pre and post the staging of the Cybathlon championship in 2016.

Methods: Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect, IEEE Xplore, and Google Scholar databases were searched for relevant studies published between January 2013 and July 2019. The quality of the included studies was objectively evaluated using the Downs and Black checklist.

Results: A total of 129 articles on FES cycling were retained for analysis. A total of 51 articles related to Cybathlon were reviewed, and 14 articles were ultimately evaluated for the quality. In 2017, the year following the Cybathlon championship, Web of Science cited 23 published studies on the championship, which was almost 5-fold more than that in 2016 (n = 5). Training was most often reported as a topic of interest in these studies, which mostly (76.7%) highlighted the training parameters of interest to participating teams in their effort to maximize their FES cycling performance during the Cybathlon championship.

Conclusion: The present study indicates that the Cybathlon championship in 2016 contributed to the number of literature published in 2017 on FES cycling for individuals with SCI. This finding may contribute to the lessons that can be learned from participation in the Cybathlon and potentially provide additional insights into research in the field of race-based FES cycling.

Keywords: Bike race; Exercise; FES cycling; Rehabilitation; Sports.

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Figures

Image, graphical abstract
Graphical abstract
Fig 1
Fig. 1
Screening process for studies included in this bibliometric review. Stage I: trends in literature on functional electrical stimulation (FES)-evoked cycling published after the Cybathlon. Stage II: features and parameters investigated in publications specifically related to the Cybathlon. Stage III: Cybathlon study quality assessment.
Fig 2
Fig. 2
Trends in the publication of functional electrical stimulation-evoked cycling studies between January 2013 and July 2019.
Fig 3
Fig. 3
Trends in the cited publication of studies related to functional electrical stimulation-evoked cycling and the Cybathlon.
Fig 4
Fig. 4
Geographical distribution of publications related to functional electrical stimulation-evoked cycling and the Cybathlon. (A) Studies cited in the Web of Science database; (B) Studies cited in the Scopus database. The sum of cited publications in the Web of Science does not equal to 100% due to number of decimal places displayed.
Fig 5
Fig. 5
Parameters of interest identified in the reviewed studies and focused on by teams participating in functional electrical stimulation-evoked cycling in the Cybathlon.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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