Changes in Skeletal Muscle Size and Glucose Tolerance With Electrically Stimulated Resistance Training in Subjects With Chronic Spinal Cord Injury

Mahoney ET, Bickel CS, Elder C, Black C, Slade JM, Apple Jr D, Dudley GA. Changes in skeletal muscle size and glucose tolerance with electrically stimulated resistance training in subjects with chronic spinal cord injury. To determine the effect of residence-based, resistance exercise training (RET) on affected skeletal muscle size and glucose tolerance after long-standing, complete spinal cord injury (SCI). Before-after trial. University laboratory trial. Five men with chronic, complete SCI (C5-T9). Magnetic resonance images of the thighs and an oral glucose tolerance test were performed before and after RET. Subjects performed RET with both thighs, 2d/wk for 4 sets of 10 unilateral, dynamic knee extensions for 12 weeks. Neuromuscular electric stimulation induced RET by activating the knee extensors. Quadriceps femoris muscle cross-sectional area (CSA), plasma glucose, and insulin concentrations were measured before and after RET. Skeletal muscle CSA increased by 35% in the right quadriceps femoris (from 32.6cm 2 to 44.0cm 2) and by 39% in the left quadriceps femoris (from 34.6cm 2 to 47.9cm 2) as a result of training ( P