Acute Effects Of Exergaming On Blood Pressure And Arterial Stiffness In Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury

PURPOSE: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of mortality in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI), while arterial stiffness is a predictor of CVD risk and may be elevated in SCI patients. Exercise improves arterial stiffness in the able-bodied population, but it remains unclear whether exercise has effects on arterial stiffness in individuals with SCI. We tested the hypothesis that an acute bout of exergaming would improve arterial stiffness in persons with SCI. METHODS: Thirty-six participants with SCI (22 males, 12 females; aged 41 ± 8 years) were randomly assigned to either an exergaming group (n = 18) or a seated rest control group (n = 18). The exergaming group performed 50 minutes of moderate-intensity active video gaming (Nintendo Wii Sports, boxing) at 40-60% of heart rate reserve. Brachial and central blood pressure were measured, while carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV) and aortic augmentation index, both indices of arterial stiffness, were measured using applanation tonometry at baseline and 2 hours post- exergaming. RESULTS: There was no baseline differences between the groups in any measured variables. While brachial blood pressure, central blood pressure, and pulse pressure tended to decrease after exergaming, these changes were not statistically significant. However, compared to the control group, cf-PWV significantly decreased in the exergaming group (from 8.9 ± 1.3 m/s to 8.4 ± 1.3 m/s, p < 0.05), with a significant group-by-time interaction (p < 0.02). In addition, augmentation index@75(%) significantly decreased in the exergaming group compared to the control group (from 20.5 ± 8 to 10.4 ± 12, p < 0.05), with a significant group-by-time interaction (p < 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that an acute bout of exergaming reduces arterial stiffness in individuals with SCI, indicating that exergaming may have the potential to decrease arterial stiffness in this population.