Birk, T.J., Nieshoff, E., Gray, G., Steeby, J., & Jablonski, K. (1999). Metabolic and cardiopulmonary responses to acute progressive resistive exercise in a person with C4 spinal cord injury. Medical Science and Sports Exercise, 31(9), 1330-1335.

Authors describe metabolic and cardiopulmonary responses to progressive resistive exercise in an individual with C4 tetraplegia. Results showed that all health outcomes increased except blood pressure, and that cardiorespiratory fitness demonstrated improvements on a peak VO2 test. This article suggests how one can incorporate exercise into the routine of a person with a high-level spinal cord injury and illustrates that small increments of exercise can still provide metabolic and cardiopulmonary benefits for the exerciser.

Read the entire abstract at http://www.ncpad.org/140/1102/Metabolic~and~cardiopulmonary~responses~to~acute~
progressive~resistive~exercise~in~a~person~with~C4~spinal~
cord~injury~.

Unnithan, V., Dowling, J., Frost, G., & Bar-or, O. (1999). Role of mechanical power estimates in the O2 cost of walking in children with cerebral palsy. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 31(12), 1703-1713.

The study was designed to estimate the ability of a mechanical power calculation to explain the variability in the metabolic energy cost of walking on a treadmill in children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP). It included experimental and control groups, totaling 13 participants, six diagnosed with diplegia, one with hemiplegia, and one with quadriplegia. Key findings included that the large amount of the variability in the O2 cost of walking in children with CP can be accounted for by the total body mechanical power estimates that allow energy transfers within and between adjacent segments of the same limb.

Read the abstract at http://www.ncpad.org/136/1080/Role~of~mechanical~power~estimates~in~the~O2~cost~of~
walking~in~children~with~cerebral~palsy~.