Physical endurance capacity, functional status and medical complications in spinal cord injured subjects with long-standing lesions.

Seventy two spinal cord injured subjects (63 males and 9 females) with long-standing lesions (mean 110 months, range 43-187) were admitted to the Sunnaas Hospital for routine examination (questionnaire, neurological status, radiography, urodynamics, blood specimen, and physical endurance capacity during armergometry). The subjects were divided into three groups with Low-(peak VO2 less than 15 ml/kg/min), Medium-(15 less than VO2 greater than 25) and High-(VO2 greater than 25) endurance capacity. The rate of urinary tract infections (UTIs) and osteoporotic leg bones, was significantly reduced with increasing oxygen uptake (p less than 0.05, X2 test). Differences in scores for ADL-independency (ADL = Activities of daily living) and ambulation on crutches with braces, were even more pronounced between the L, M and H groups (p less than 0.001). The same trends, although not always statistically significant, were also observed in a homogeneous group of paraplegic patients (n = 43, injury level below T6). The results emphasise the importance of regular physical endurance activities to patient well-being, because relatively high endurance capacity was found to be related to less frequent medical complications, and to a higher degree of ADL self-independency.