Lifestyle diseases in people with spinal cord injuries

Evidence shows that lifestyle diseases, for example, type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease, are more common and occur earlier in the lifespan of people with a spinal cord injury. Performing regular exercise is an effective strategy to prevent the development of such diseases, however, evidence is limited for high-intensity interval training in people with a spinal cord injury.

Project Summary

In this project, we will use a 6-week randomised controlled trial (RCT) in people with chronic (more than 1 year post-injury) paraplegia to examine the effect of a high-intensity interval training (versus control) on a range of biomarkers of cardiometabolic health. The exercise intervention will be home-based, with participants provided with an arm-crank ergometer to use.

Recruitment

We are looking for individuals who are between 18 and 65 years old and:

• have a chronic (over 12 months post-injury) spinal cord injury at or below the second thoracic (T2) vertebrae
• spend over 75% of their waking day using a wheelchair

A full list of eligibility criteria can be found on our recruitment page.

Funding

This work will be supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

Project Team

• Matthew Farrow
• Dr Jennifer Maher
• Professor Dylan Thompson
• Professor James Bilzon