Improvements in Orthostatic Instability with Stand Locomotor Training in Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury

Individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) often experience cardiovascular issues, including low blood pressure and orthostatic hypotension (a drop in blood pressure upon standing). This can interfere with rehabilitation and daily activities. This study investigates whether stand locomotor training (stand LT), which involves repetitive practice of standing with body weight support, can improve blood pressure and reduce orthostatic hypotension in people with SCI. The results suggest that stand LT can improve resting blood pressure and reduce orthostatic hypotension in individuals with cervical SCI, potentially due to neuromuscular activation of the legs and conditioning of cardiovascular responses.

• 1
  Resting arterial blood pressure significantly increased in individuals with cervical SCI after 80 training sessions of stand LT.
• 2
  Orthostatic hypotension, present before training in individuals with cervical SCI, was not evident after 80 sessions of stand LT.
• 3
  Hemodynamic parameters of individuals with thoracic SCI were relatively stable prior to training and not significantly different after 80 sessions of stand LT.