Effect of kayak ergometer training on trunk control, independence, and cardiovascular fitness in individuals with a spinal cord injury.

CONTEXT: To determine the effect of kayak ergometer training on trunk control, cardiorespiratory condition, and independence in individuals with a SCI. DESIGN: Randomized clinical trial.Setting: Third-level hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals with SCI with a neurological level of C8 or below, and 3-12 months since injury. INTERVENTION: A control group received conventional trunk training, and an experimental group received kayak ergometer training. Both groups received five weekly sessions over six weeks. OUTCOME MEASURES: Neurological status (ISNCSCI), independence (SCIM-III), Trunk Control Test (TCT), life satisfaction (LISAT-9), and a stress test were performed before and after the training. RESULTS: 39 individuals were included and randomized to either a conventional trunk training group (n = 18) or an experimental group receiving kayak ergometer training (n = 21). In the experimental group, three participants were eliminated. Therefore, 36 participants completed the study and were included in the data analysis (control: 18; experimental: 18). The majority were men (>72%) with complete injuries, and the majority had lower thoracic injuries (58.4%). At the final measurements, all participants showed improvement in all outcomes following the intervention. We found significant improvements in SCIM-III (p = 0.047) and estimated VO2 (p = 0.045) in the kayak training group, findings that were not statistically significant after Bonferroni correction. Furthermore, compared with the group that received traditional trunk training, the kayak training group showed a trend toward faster, more effective improvement. CONCLUSIONS: Kayak ergometer training showed trends toward greater improvements in trunk control, functional independence, and cardiovascular fitness compared with conventional exercise, although differences were not statistically significant after Bonferroni correction.