The feasibility of a high intensity interval training-based handcycling activity in people with spinal cord injury

Following the acquisition of a spinal cord injury (SCI), an individual may experience mobility impairments to the lower extremities and autonomic deficiencies of the central nervous system. With limited access to the lower extremities and a blunted sweat and heart rate response, people with SCI (PwSCI) find difficulties maintaining adequate levels of exercise for health and wellness. Currently, over 50% of PwSCI present signs or symptoms of cardiometabolic disease (CMD). In order to reduce the high prevalence of CMD among PwSCI, research must develop novel exercise modes that effectively stimulate positive fitness adaptations in PwSCI. High intensity interval training (HIIT) presents a promising alternative to current exercise approaches for PwSCI. HIIT alternates short, explosive submaximal bursts with periods of active recovery or rest, which may enable PwSCI to accumulate high exercise volumes while compensating for the central adaptive deficiencies associated with SCI. In other populations living with CMD, HIIT superiorly improves cardiometabolic health compared to traditional modes of aerobic training (i.e., moderate intensity continuous training [MICT]). Unfortunately, the cardiometabolic benefits of HIIT for PwSCI are less clear and require further exploration. As PwSCI also present high rates of upper extremity pain and dissatisfaction towards exercise, research must also address the upper-limb loading patterns and affective responses to HIIT in order to determine its viability as a long-term fitness option. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation was to assess the feasibility of a HIIT-based handcycling activity in PwSCI. In order to accomplish this goal, three studies were performed: 1) the comparison of cardiorespiratory responses during a single-bout of HIIT and MICT, 2) the evaluation of kinetic outputs during a single-bout of HIIT and MICT, and 3) the assessment of PwSCI’s perceptions towards HIIT. Results from this dissertation indicate that a HIIT-based handcycling activity more effectively stimulated the cardiometabolic system compared to MICT in PwSCI. While HIIT required higher applied force outputs than MICT, the applied forces during HIIT were performed with greater propulsive efficiency that did not degrade over time. Finally, PwSCI enjoyed HIIT over MICT and believed that consistent adherence to HIIT would lead to positive physical and self-evaluative outcomes. Overall, the results from this study demonstrate that a HIIT-based handcycling activity is a feasible exercise option for PwSCI that has the potential to improve fitness and health. The novel HIIT protocol developed for the current study addressed many of the barriers preventing adequate exercise accumulation among PwSCI. Moving forward, exercise clinicians and scientists may benefit from utilizing this methodology for improving the health of PwSCI.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Kinesiology

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2022

Author dc:creator

• Peters, Joseph Alexander

Contributors dc:contributor

• Rice, Ian
• Kersh, Mariana
• Rice, Laura
• Burd, Nicholas

• spinal cord injury
• high intensity interval training
• HIIT
• upper-body
• cardiorespiratory
• biomechanics
• perceptions

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2022 Joseph Peters

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/116189

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F116189