Abstract
The purpose of this investigation was to examine the use of subjective rating of perceived exertion (RPE) as a tool to self-regulate the intensity of wheelchair propulsive exercise in individuals with tetraplegia. Eight motor complete tetraplegic (C5/6 and below; ASIA Impairment Scale = A) participants completed a submaximal incremental exercise test followed by a graded exercise test to exhaustion to determine peak oxygen uptake (\( \dot{V}O_{{ 2 {\text{peak}}}} \)) on a wheelchair ergometer. On a separate day, a 20-min exercise bout was completed at an individualised imposed power output (PO) equating to 70 % of \( \dot{V}O_{{ 2 {\text{peak}}}} \). On a third occasion, participants were instructed to maintain a workload equivalent to the average RPE for the 20-min imposed condition. \( \dot{V}O_{2} \), heart rate (HR) and PO were measured at 1-min intervals and blood lactate concentration [BLa−] was measured at 0, 10 and 20 min. No differences (P > 0.17) were found between mean \( \dot{V}O_{2} \), % \( \dot{V}O_{{ 2 {\text{peak}}}} \), HR, % HRpeak, [BLa−], velocity or PO between the imposed and RPE-regulated trials. No significant (P > 0.05) time-by-trial interaction was present for \( \dot{V}O_{2} \) data. A significant interaction (P < 0.001) for the PO data represented a trend for an increase in PO from 10 min to the end of exercise during the RPE-regulated condition. However, post hoc analysis revealed none of the differences in PO across time were significant (P > 0.05). In conclusion, these findings suggest that RPE can be an effective tool for self-regulating 20 min of wheelchair propulsion in a group of trained participants with tetraplegia who are experienced in wheelchair propulsion.
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Acknowledgments
No direct funding was received for this work. The authors would like to thank John Lenton and Dr. Barry Mason for their help and expertise with the laboratory testing. Thanks also go to the Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby Association for their support and the participants who volunteered to take part in this study.
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Communicated by Dag Linnarsson.
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Paulson, T.A.W., Bishop, N.C., Leicht, C.A. et al. Perceived exertion as a tool to self-regulate exercise in individuals with tetraplegia. Eur J Appl Physiol 113, 201–209 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-012-2426-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-012-2426-5