RaceRunning training improves stamina and promotes skeletal muscle hypertrophy in young individuals with cerebral palsy
Open Access
- 27 March 2020
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders
- Vol. 21 (1), 1-9
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-020-03202-8
Abstract
Background Individuals with cerebral palsy (CP) are less physically active, spend more time sedentary and have lower cardiorespiratory endurance as compared to typically developed individuals. RaceRunning enables high-intensity exercise in individuals with CP with limited or no walking ability, using a three-wheeled running bike with a saddle and a chest plate for support, but no pedals. Training adaptations using this type of exercise are unknown. Methods Fifteen adolescents/young adults (mean age 16, range 9-29, 7 females/8 males) with CP completed 12 weeks, two sessions/week, of RaceRunning training. Measurements of cardiorespiratory endurance (6-min RaceRunning test (6-MRT), average and maximum heart rate, rate of perceived exertion using the Borg scale (Borg-RPE)), skeletal muscle thickness (ultrasound) of the thigh (vastus lateralis and intermedius muscles) and lower leg (medial gastrocnemius muscle) and passive range of motion (pROM) of hip, knee and ankle were collected before and after the training period. Results Cardiorespiratory endurance increased on average 34% (6-MRT distance; pre 576 +/- 320 m vs. post 723 +/- 368 m, p < 0.001). Average and maximum heart rate and Borg-RPE during the 6-MRT did not differ pre vs. post training. Thickness of the medial gastrocnemius muscle increased 9% in response to training (p < 0.05) on the more-affected side. Passive hip flexion increased (p < 0.05) on the less-affected side and ankle dorsiflexion decreased (p < 0.05) on the more affected side after 12 weeks of RaceRunning training. Conclusions These results support the efficacy of RaceRunning as a powerful and effective training modality in individuals with CP, promoting both cardiorespiratory and peripheral adaptations.Funding Information
- Stiftelsen Promobilia
- Riksförbundet för Rörelsehindrade Barn och Ungdomar
- Norrbacka-Eugeniastiftelsen
- Stiftelsen Samariten
- Elsass Fonden
This publication has 38 references indexed in Scilit:
- Possibility of leg muscle hypertrophy by ambulation in older adults: a brief reviewClinical Interventions in Aging, 2013
- Physical activity in a total population of children and adolescents with cerebral palsyResearch in Developmental Disabilities, 2013
- Aerobic Training in Children with Cerebral PalsyInternational Journal of Sports Medicine, 2012
- Spasticity of the gastrosoleus muscle is related to the development of reduced passive dorsiflexion of the ankle in children with cerebral palsyActa Orthopaedica, 2011
- Quantity and Quality of Exercise for Developing and Maintaining Cardiorespiratory, Musculoskeletal, and Neuromotor Fitness in Apparently Healthy AdultsMedicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2011
- In vivo muscle architecture and size of the rectus femoris and vastus lateralis in children and adolescents with cerebral palsyDevelopmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 2009
- The natural history of gross motor development in children with cerebral palsy aged 1 to 15 years.Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 2007
- Physical training of school children with spastic cerebral palsyInternational Journal of Rehabilitation Research, 1998
- Effect of physical activation and of improved nutrition on the body composition of school children with cerebral palsyActa Paediatrica, 1970
- The Effect of Physical Training on Oxygen Utilization and Lactate Formation in the Exercising Muscle of Adolescents with Motor HandicapsScandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation, 1970