Abstract
Objectives:
To systematically develop evidence-informed physical activity guidelines to improve physical fitness in people with spinal cord injury (SCI).
Setting:
This study was conducted in Canada
Methods:
The Appraisal of Guidelines, Research and Evaluation II guideline development protocol was used to develop exercise guidelines to improve physical capacity and muscular strength. The evidence base for the guideline development process consisted of a systematic review and quality appraisal of research examining the effects of exercise on physical fitness among people with SCI. A multidisciplinary expert panel deliberated the evidence and generated the guidelines. Pilot testing led to refinement of the wording and presentation of the guidelines.
Results:
The expert panel generated the following guidelines: for important fitness benefits, adults with a SCI should engage in (a) at least 20 min of moderate to vigorous intensity aerobic activity two times per week and (b) strength training exercises two times per week, consisting of three sets of 8–10 repetitions of each exercise for each major muscle group.
Conclusion:
People with SCI, clinicians, researchers and fitness programmers are encouraged to adopt these rigorously developed guidelines.
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Acknowledgements
We gratefully acknowledge Dr Luc Noreau who provided the initial impetus for this project. Development of the guidelines and preparation of the manuscript were financially supported by the Rick Hansen Institute; a Community-University Research Alliance Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada; a Canadian Institutes of Health Research New Investigator Award (awarded to KMG); an Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation Mentor-Trainee Award (awarded to KMG and AL). We extend our appreciation to Adrienne Sinden for her assistance with preparing the manuscript.
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Ginis, K., Hicks, A., Latimer, A. et al. The development of evidence-informed physical activity guidelines for adults with spinal cord injury. Spinal Cord 49, 1088–1096 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/sc.2011.63
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sc.2011.63
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