Original articleValidity of Submaximal Exercise Testing in Adults With Athetospastic Cerebral Palsy
Section snippets
Participants
Twenty-five adults with athetospastic cerebral palsy were recruited from local care and rehabilitation facilities. The inclusion criteria were: (1) individuals over 20 years of age, (2) individuals who did not participate in sports or any special exercise programs, (3) individuals who had no cardiorespiratory diseases that would affect the results of this study, (4) individuals who did not take medication that could affect the results of this study (eg, β-blockers), and (5) individuals who had
Results
Sixteen out of 25 volunteers completed both the maximal cycle ergometer test and the multistage submaximal cycle ergometer test. The other 9 participants could not reach maximal effort during the maximal cycle ergometer test. Although the sample size was smaller as a result, we were unable to recruit additional volunteers at the time. Therefore, only data from 16 participants (10 women and 6 men) aged 43.7±14.5 years (range, 22–67y) were analyzed in this study. Nine of these 16 participants
Discussion
Most submaximal tests provide an accurate estimate of cardiorespiratory fitness in healthy individuals,8 and most do not require meticulous measurements of V̇o2. Furthermore, each test has been validated for specific populations (eg, men and women of different age groups).8, 9, 10 In contrast, there is no convenient submaximal test that has been validated for individuals with cerebral palsy, and many of these patients (9/25 in our study) may not be fit enough for maximum tests. In these
Conclusions
There have been no validated submaximal exercise tests to examine the cardiorespiratory fitness of adults with cerebral palsy. This study demonstrated that the multistage submaximal cycle ergometer test may provide a valid V̇o2max estimate of adults with athetospastic cerebral palsy. This test could be used for the evaluation and monitoring of rehabilitation outcomes in many more adults living with athetospastic cerebral palsy. Future studies should confirm that the multistage submaximal cycle
Acknowledgments
We thank Reisuke Natsume, MD, PhD, for introducing us to the people who attend the local care and rehabilitation facilities where he directs as a medical doctor, and for helping us to conduct this study. We also thank Pieter Mioch for his valuable advice in translation.
References (25)
- et al.
A comparison of oxygen pulse and respiratory exchange ratio in cerebral palsied and nondisabled children
Arch Phys Med Rehabil
(1993) - et al.
Maximal oxygen intake and nomographic assessment of functional aerobic impairment in cardiovascular disease
Am Heart J
(1973) - et al.
Training of ambulatory individuals with cerebral palsy
Arch Phys Med Rehabil
(1993) ACSM's guidelines for exercise testing and prescription
(2000)- et al.
The textbook of work physiology
(2003) Physical fitness levels of persons with cerebral palsy
Dev Med Child Neurol
(2001)- et al.
Promotion of physical fitness and prevention of secondary conditions for children with cerebral palsy: section on pediatrics research summit proceedings
Phys Ther
(2007) - et al.
Maximal aerobic power in cerebral palsied wheelchair athletes: validity and reliability
Arch Phys Med Rehabil
(1992) - et al.
Maximum oxygen uptake and objectively measured physical activity in Danish children 6-7 years of age: the Copenhagen school child intervention study
Br J Sports Med
(2005) - et al.
Submaximal exercise testing: clinical application and interpretation
Phys Ther
(2000)
The multistage 20 metre shuttle run test for aerobic fitness
J Sport Sci
A submaximal all-extremity exercise test to predict maximal oxygen consumption
Med Sci Sports Exerc
Cited by (0)
Supported by an allocation of the annual budget of the Aichi prefectural government.
No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit on the authors or on any organization with which the authors are associated.
Reprints are not available from the author.