Wheelchair-specific fitness of inactive people with long-term spinal cord injury

Objectives: To describe wheelchair-specific anaerobic work capacity, isometric strength and peak aerobic work capacity of physically inactive people with long-term spinal cord injury using outcomes of tests that are feasible for use in rehabilitation centres, and to determine associations among these fitness components. Design: Cross-sectional study. Participants: Manual wheelchair users with spinal cord injury for at least 10 years, who were inactive based on a norm score of a physical activity questionnaire (n?=?29; 22 men; 20 with paraplegia; median age 53 years). Methods: Participants performed 3 exercise tests in their own wheelchair to determine: highest 5-s power output over 15-m overground sprinting (P5–15m); highest 3-s isometric push-force (Fiso); and peak power output (POpeak) and peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) over a peak test. Results: Median (interquartile range) was in P5–15m 16.1 W (9.4–20.9); in Fiso 399 N (284–610); in POpeak 40.9 W (19.1–54.9); and in VO2peak 1.26 l/min (0.80–1.67). Correlations among outcomes of fitness components were weak (r?=?0.50–0.67, p?<?0.01), except for P5–15m with POpeak (r?=?0.79, p?<?0.001). Conclusion: All fitness components measured in this sample were at relatively low levels, implying a specific need for interventions to improve wheelchair-specific fitness. The weak-to-moderate associations among components imply that separate tests should be used when monitoring wheelchair-specific fitness in rehabilitation centres