The maximum physiological responses during incremental wheelchair and arm cranking exercise in male paraplegics

GASS, G.C. and E.M. CAMP. The maximum physiological responses during incremental wheelchair and arm cranking exercise in male paraplegics. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 16, No. 4, pp. 355–359, 1984. Ten physically active male paraplegics (V = 30 ± 1 yr), with lesion levels ranging from T5 to L4/S2, underwent two incremental exercise tests to exhaustion. The exercise tests were arm cranking, utilizing an electronically-braked arm cranker, and wheelchair propulsion on a motor-driven treadmill. The subjects were randomly assigned to groups, and the exercise tests were separated by 1 wk. For the first six subjects, during both modes of exercise, Vo2, Vco2, R, VE, and heart rates were recorded throughout; for the remaining four subjects the same variables were recorded after the heart rate reached 160 b.min-1. The Vo2 (1.min-1 and ml.min-1.kg-1), Vco2 (1.min-1), HR, and VE BTPS (1.min-1) were significantly higher at the termination of the wheelchair exercise than at the termination of the arm cranking exercise. The minute ventilation, when recorded throughout both exercise tests, showed a relatively linear phase at first, followed by a curvilinear phase. The findings of this study indicate that in the present group of paraplegics, the highest Vo2 was obtained during maximum wheelchair exercise.