Effects of Body-weight Support Treadmill Training on Lower Extremity Muscle Atrophy and Ambulatory Capacity in Complete Spinal Cord Injured Patients / 中国康复理论与实践

ABSTRACT

@#Objective To explore the effect of body-weight support treadmill training(BWSTT)on lower extremity muscle atrophy and ambulatory capacity in complete spinal cord injured(SCI)patients.Methods 20 patients with complete SCI at the thoracic level were divided into control and BWSTT group.They all received comprehensive rehabilitation,and patients in BWSTT group also received BWSTT for 3 months when the physical condition was permitted.They were assessed before and after treatment with measurement of thigh girth,ambulatory capacity measure of Functional Independence Measure(FIM),10 meters ambulatory velocity and activity of daily living(ADL)evaluation.Patients in BWSTT group also received middle thigh MRI examination before and after BWSTT.Results The muscles at the mid-thigh of the BWSTT group looked larger after BWSTT than before.The scores of FIM ambulatory function,the 10 miters ambulatory velocity of BWSTT group improved significantly when compared with that of the control group(P<0.05).The thigh girth and the scores of ADL were no different between these two groups before and after treatment(P<0.05).Conclusion BWSTT may ameliorate lower extremities skeletal muscle atrophy and improve ambulatory capacity for SCI patients.