IMPROVEMENT IN WHEELCHAIR PROPULSION IN PEDIATRIC WHEELCHAIR USERS THROUGH RESISTANCE TRAINING - A PILOT-STUDY

Six children, three with cerebral palsy and three with myelomeningocele, participated in a progressive, 8-week, circuit muscular strength training program, The program was designed to improve wheelchair propulsion, an important functional outcome, Subjects performed three sets of six-repetition maximum (6-RM) upper body strength exercises, three times a week, Exercises included shoulder flexion, extension, abduction, internal and external rotation, elbow flexion, extension, and shoulder flexion/elbow extension (bench press), Subjects exercised quickly with little rest between each set for approximately 30 minutes per session, All children used wheelchairs extensively and participated in a 50-m, and a 12-minute wheelchair propulsion test before and after the 8-week program, The Sign test was used to determine if statistically significant (P less than or equal to .05) wheelchair propulsion or 6-RM changes occured over the training period, Subjects improved significantly (P less than or equal to .031) in all muscular strength (6-RM) measures and the 12-minute distance test, There was a trend toward improvement in the 50-meter test, although this change was not significant (P less than or equal to .05), The results indicate that progressive resistance exercise training seems to improve muscular strength and wheelchair performance in selected disabled children. (C) 1995 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation