Research indicates early intervention may help patients with spinal cord injuries

By Laura Vogltanz

Published on April 07, 2006

This electrical stimulation exerts forces to bones and is the best way to apply therapeutic stresses to keep the bone healthy. This stimulation can also reduce bone thinning and vulnerability to fractures -- both of which are significant problems in a spinal cord injury.
The electrical stimulation protocol, used in the research, followed normal exercise principles, training the targeted muscle and bone 20 to 30 minutes each day, five days a week.
By the end of the three-year studies, bone mineral density for the stimulated limbs was, on average, 32 percent greater than the untrained limbs and trained muscles could generate about 50 percent more force.
This study was the first to intervene with mechanical loading very early after SCI -- all participants started the protocol within six months of the injury. Also, the studies were long-term, with patients receiving the stimulation for three years, which covers the period of most rapid bone mineral density loss in SCI patients.
According to Shields, this research emphasizes that early intervention is a critical consideration in efforts to preserve the musculoskeletal system after a spinal cord injury. Future studies must address efficient methods to deliver these therapeutic stresses to the entire lower extremity.

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