Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of 8 weeks of resistance circuit training in people with paraplegia due to spinal cord injury.
Methods Participants were randomized into experimental and control groups. Although the intensity and sequence of movements of the exercise programs were identical in both groups, the resting time between sets was limited to 1 minute in the experimental group. In the control group, the participants were allowed to rest until they were comfortable. Both groups received 8 weeks of training twice per week. Before and after the program, muscle mass, body fat percentage, fat mass, blood pressure, heart rate, muscle strength and muscular endurance were evaluated, and 6-minute propulsion test was conducted. Additionally, the safety of the program was assessed.
Results Twenty-two individuals with paraplegia were enrolled (11 in each group). After the training program, the experimental group showed a significant decrease in the resting blood pressure and improvement in the upper extremity muscle mass, strength, and endurance (p<0.05). Each variable showed significant inter-group differences (p<0.05). Furthermore, none of the participants showed autonomic adverse events, musculoskeletal side effects, or discomfort.
Conclusion The results show that resistance circuit training programs with short resting intervals are superior to the usual resistance exercise programs in improving the blood pressure and physical strength and are safe for people with upper thoracic level injuries at T6 or higher.
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Methods Patients with SCI who were hospitalized and underwent UDS during a 4-year period were reviewed. Patients with pre-test lower urinary tract symptoms were excluded. Urinalysis and urine culture were performed before and 24 hours after UDS. Prophylactic antibiotics were administered for 5 days starting from the morning of the UDS. UTI was defined as bacteriuria with accompanying symptoms.
Results Of 399 patients reviewed, 209 (52.4%) had pyuria in pre-UDS urinalysis, and 257 (64.4%) had bacteriuria in pre-UDS culture. Post-UDS UTI occurred in 6 (1.5%) individuals who all complained of fever: 5 (2.4%) of the post-UDS UTI cases occurred in patients with pre-UDS pyuria, and 1 (0.5%) in a person without. The differences between groups were not statistically significant (p=0.218). Of 221 patients with bacteriuria (gram-negative isolates) on pre-UDS culture, resistance to ciprofloxacin, cephalosporin, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMT) was noted in 52.9% (117 cases), 57.0% (126 cases), and 38.9% (86 cases), respectively.
Conclusion No difference was found in the prevalence of post-UDS UTI based on the presence of pyuria in pre-UDS urinalysis. UDS may be performed even in SCI cases of pre-UDS pyuria without increasing the prevalence of post-UDS UTI if prophylactic antibiotics are administered. TMP/SMT could be used as a first-line antibiotic for the prevention of post-UDS UTI in Korea.
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Results Of 366 patients, 253 patients (69.1%) with SCI had NP. Patients who were married or had traumatic injury or depressive mood had a higher prevalence rate. When other variables were controlled, marital status and depressive mood were found to be predictors of NP. There was no association between the prevalence of NP and other demographic or clinical variables. The mean Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) of NP was 4.52, and patients mainly described pain as tingling, squeezing, and painful cold. Females and those with below-level NP reported more intense pain. An NRS cut-off value of 4.5 was determined as the most appropriate value to discriminate between patients taking pain medication and those who did not.
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