Effects of Functional Electrical Stimulation Cycling Exercise on Bone Mineral Density Loss in the Early Stages of Spinal Cord Injury.

Objective: To determine whether bone mineral density loss
after spinal cord injury can be attenuated by an early intervention
with functional electrical stimulation cycling exercises
(FESCE) and to ascertain whether the effect persists
after FESCE is discontinued.
Design: A prospective study.
Subjects: Twenty-four individuals with spinal cord injury,
26–52 days after spinal cord injury, were divided into
FESCE or control groups.
Methods: FESCE was applied in the initial 3 months and
then suspended in the subsequent 3 months. Bone mineral
density in the femoral neck and distal femur was measured
using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry before training, immediately
after the initial 3 months of training, and at the
end of the subsequent 3 months.
Results: The bone mineral density decrease rate in the distal
femur in the FESCE group was significantly less than that in
the control group during the initial 3 months. However, there
was no significant difference in the subsequent 3 months.
Conclusion: FESCE in the early stages of spinal cord injury
can partly attenuate bone mineral density loss in the distal
femur. However, bone mineral density loss in the distal femur
cannot be ameliorated completely by FESCE. In addition,
the effect on the attenuation of bone loss in the distal
femur faded once FESCE was discontinued.