Exercise Capacity, Functioning and Quality of Life 12 Weeks after Traumatic Thoracic Spinal Cord Injury.

Background: A spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to patho-physiological changes that can affect physical and psychological performance. The aim of this observational study was to evaluate the relationship between exercise capacity, functioning and quality of life in patients 12 weeks after traumatic paraplegia participating in early rehabilitation.

Material And Methods: 13 patients participated in this study and performed cardio-pulmonary exercise testing (CPET) on an arm-crank ergometer to determine peak exercise capacity (VO2peak).