Wheelchair exercise capacity in spinal cord injury up to five years after discharge from inpatient rehabilitation.

Objective: To elucidate the course and determinants of wheelchair exercise capacity in spinal cord injury up to 5 years after discharge from inpatient rehabilitation, and to describe loss to follow-up.

Design: Prospective cohort study, with measurements at the start and discharge from inpatient rehabilitation, 1 and 5 years after discharge.

Subjects: A total of 225 wheelchair-dependent persons with spinal cord injury.

Methods: Random coefficient analysis of the course and determinants of peak aerobic power output (POpeak) and peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak).

Results: A total of 162 participants attended 1 or more peak exercise tests and were analysed. Significant changes were found for both VO2peak and POpeak between start and 5 years after discharge, and discharge and 5 years after discharge. No significant changes were found for VO2peak and POpeak between 1 year and 5 years after discharge. Age, gender, level and completeness of lesion were determinants for level of VO2peak and age, gender, and level of lesion for level of POpeak. No significant determinants were found for the course of wheelchair exercise capacity. The 63 participants who were not analysed were older, and showed more persons with a tetraplegia.

Conclusion: Wheelchair exercise capacity of persons with spinal cord injury stabilizes at between 1 and 5 years after discharge. The participants appear to be a positive selection of the total study group.