Abstract
Objective
To analyze and summarize the effect of regulating exercise training interventions
with subjective measures of intensity on cardiorespiratory fitness, measured by peak
oxygen uptake (V̇O2peak) and peak power output (POpeak) in adults with spinal cord injury (SCI).
Data Sources
Four databases (MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus) were searched from inception
up until September 1, 2020, and updated November 18, 2021.
Study Selection
Searches combined keywords relating to the topics: SCI, subjective measures of exercise
intensity, and exercise.
Data Extraction
Two reviewers independently conducted eligibility screening, data extraction, and
assessed the risk of bias. Nine studies were included in the systematic review and
meta-analysis, resulting in the inclusion of data from 95 adults with SCI representing
both sexes and a diverse range of age, time since injury, lesion level, and lesion
completeness classifications.
Data Synthesis
Data were extracted and added to summary tables with 3 outcomes: V̇O2peak, POpeak, and Other. Mean and SD values for V̇O2peak and POpeak were extracted from pre- and post-perceptually regulated exercise training.
Conclusions
All studies used ratings of perceived exertion scale to prescribe exercise intensity.
Seven of 8 studies concluded an improvement in V̇O2peak, and 5 studies of 7 concluded an improvement in POpeak. In the outcome Other, 5 studies concluded an improvement, and 3 studies concluded no change. There was
evidence for an improvement in cardiorespiratory fitness, measured by V̇O2peak and POpeak after perceptually regulated exercise training in adults with SCI (Grading of Recommendations,
Assessment, Development, and Evaluation ratings: Low) (mean difference [MD], 2.92mL/kg/min; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.30-4.54; P=.0004 and MD, 9.8W; 95% CI, 5.5-14.3; P<.0001, respectively). This review provides critically appraised, cumulative evidence
on the use of perceptually regulated exercise training in individuals with SCI.
Keywords
List of abbreviations:
CI (confidence interval), CR10 (Category Ratio 10), GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation), MD (mean difference), POpeak (peak power output), RPE (rating of perceived exertion), RoB 2.0 (Risk of Bias 2.0), SCI (spinal cord injury), V̇O2peak (peak oxygen uptake)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 05, 2022
Accepted:
March 8,
2022
Received in revised form:
February 22,
2022
Received:
November 23,
2021
Footnotes
Supported by the Ontario Graduate Scholarship awarded to Sydney E. Valentino. Maureen J. MacDonald was supported by a grant from McMaster University. Michael J. Hutchinson and Victoria L. Goosey-Tolfrey were supported by the Peter Harrison Foundation and Loughborough University.
Registration: The protocol was registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) network (CRD42020210552).
Disclosures: none.
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine.
