Histochemical changes in muscle of individuals with spinal cord injury following functional electrical stimulated exercise training

• Published in: Spinal cord Vol. 37; no. 4; pp. 264 - 268
• Main Authors: CHILIBECK, P. D, JEON, J, WEISS, C, BELL, G, BURNHAM, R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing 01.04.1999
• Subjects: Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Diseases of the nervous system; Electric Stimulation; Exercise - physiology; Exercise Test; Female; Histocytochemistry; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Muscle Fibers, Skeletal - physiology; Muscle, Skeletal - innervation; Muscle, Skeletal - pathology; Physical Fitness - physiology; Radiotherapy. Instrumental treatment. Physiotherapy. Reeducation. Rehabilitation, orthophony, crenotherapy. Diet therapy and various other treatments (general aspects); Spinal Cord Injuries - pathology; Physical exercise; Human; Nervous system diseases; Spinal cord; Motor system disorder; Electrical stimulus; Ergometer; Muscular fiber; Striated muscle; Trauma; Instrumental stimulation; Pathology; Reeducation; Follow up study; Morphology; Medullary paraplegia; Central nervous system disease; Evolution; Rehabilitation; Spinal cord disease
• ISSN: 1362-4393; 1476-5624
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.sc.3100785

Longitudinal training. To determine the effects of functional electrical stimulated (FES) leg cycle ergometer training on muscle histochemical characteristics in individuals with motor-complete spinal cord injury (SCI). University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Six individuals with motor-complete SCI (age 31-50 years; 3-25 years post-injury) trained using FES leg cycle ergometry for 30 min, 3 days per week for 8 weeks. Biopsies of the vastus lateralis muscle were obtained pre- and post-training and analyzed for fibre composition, fibre size and capillarization. The majority of muscle fibres were classified as type 2 pre- and post-training. Average fibre area increased 23% (P<0.05) and capillary number increased 39% (P<0.05) with training. As a result of these proportional increases, capillarization expressed relative to fibre area was unchanged with training. FES leg cycle ergometer training results in proportional increases in fibre area and capillary number in individuals with SCI.