Para table tennis improves psychological/mental and cardiovascular health in individuals with spinal cord injury.

Background: Although rehabilitation exercise is known to be beneficial for cardiovascular and mental health, it remains a daunting challenge for patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) who rely on wheelchairs for mobility.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a 4-week para table tennis program in enhancing self-efficacy and health outcomes in adults with SCI.

Methods: A total of 39 SCI patients were included and divided into the experimental group (n = 18, a 4-week para table tennis training program) and the control group (n = 21).

Altered heart rate variability and pulse-wave velocity after spinal cord injury.

Background: Heart rate variability (HRV) and pulse-wave velocity (PWV), indicators of cardiac function, are altered in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI), suggesting that autonomic cardiac function and arterial stiffness may underlie the high risk of cardiovascular complications in these patients. No study has simultaneously investigated HRV and PWV in the same patients.

Aim: To evaluate cardiovascular complications in SCI patients by comparing HRV and PWV between patients with and without SCI.