Course Description:
Aerobic cardiovascular fitness is comparatively poor in spinal cord injury (SCI) populations, with nearly 25% of otherwise healthy young individuals with SCI failing to achieve oxygen consumption levels sufficient to perform many essential activities of daily living (ADLs).

Increased physical activity, including arm cycle ergometry, functional electrical stimulation, robotic-assisted treadmill training, and aquatic exercise, can improve glucose metabolism, cytokine levels, HDL concentration, and self-esteem. There is controversy, however, regarding the frequency and intensity required to achieve these benefits. For optimal client health, a baseline cardiovascular assessment and a post-intervention assessment are essential.

This presentation will increase understanding of cardiovascular fitness assessment and intervention for individuals with spinal cord injury, as well as other chronic neuromuscular conditions. Pragmatic case examples will demonstrate the systemic health issues linked to cardiovascular fitness, intervention concepts, and assessment possibilities (clinical and research). The ultimate goal is to increase practitioner awareness and advocacy for annual cardiovascular assessment and intervention for all individuals living with chronic neuromuscular conditions.

Course Objectives & Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, the learner will be able to:

• List systemic issues associated with decreased cardiovascular fitness for individuals with spinal cord injury (and other neuromuscular chronic conditions);
• Calculate the metabolic equivalent units for a given activity for a person with spinal cord injury;
• Select aquatic environment conditions as well as support and resistance equipment needed for a given client case;
• Describe cardiovascular conditioning for the client, ensuring adequate dosage and client safety;
• Select an assessment tool to measure the cardiovascular conditioning of the given client in the learner’s facility;
• Identify the skills, equipment, and education/training needed to implement cardiovascular conditioning and assessment in each learner’s facility; and
• Offer 2-3 concepts to adopt and promote in the learner’s facility, community, and practice arena to advance a health and wellness model for all individuals with chronic neuromuscular conditions.