Respiratory functional and motor control deficits in children with spinal cord injury

•We evaluated the effect of spinal cord injury on respiratory motor function in children•Respiratory functional and motor control outcome measures in healthy typically developing children were compared to age-matched children with chronic spinal cord injury.•Spirometrical values were significantly lower in spinal cord injury group in association with significantly decreased activation of respiratory muscles below the neurological level of injury and significantly increased compensatory muscle activation above the level of injury.•In the typically developing group, age, height and weight have significantly contributed towards increase in functional measures.•In children with spinal cord injury, only age was significantly correlated with functional measures.•These findings indicate the degree of spinal cord injury-induced respiratory functional and motor control deficits are age-dependent. Children with spinal cord injury (SCI) are at high risk for developing complications due to respiratory motor control deficits. However, underlying mechanisms of these abnormalities with respect to age, development, and injury characteristics are unclear. To evaluate the effect of SCI and age on respiratory motor control in children with SCI, we compared pulmonary function and respiratory motor control outcome measures in healthy typically developing (TD) children to age-matched children with chronic SCI. We hypothesized that the deficits in respiratory functional performance in children with SCI are due to the abnormal and age-dependent respiratory muscle activation patterns. Fourteen TD (age 7±2 yrs., Mean±SD) and twelve children with SCI (age 6±1 yrs.) were evaluated by assessing Forced Vital Capacity (FVC); Forced Expiratory Volume in 1sec (FEV1); and respiratory electromyographic activity during maximum inspiratory and maximum expiratory airway pressure measurements (PImax and PEmax). The results indicate a significant reduction (p