Swimming training for sedentary persons with spinal cord injury and HDL cholesterol concentrations

Abstract

Introduction. Persons with spinal cord injury may have very limited mobility and motor potential, reducing the options for physical activities. Longitudinal studies have linked physical inactivity to low HDL-cholesterol levels which are more frequent among people with spinal cord injury than in the general population. Regular exercise can improve lipid profile, but little is known about exercise prescription, especially aquatic exercises to persons with spinal cord injury for this purpose. Objective. To investigate the effect of swimming on the lipid profile of persons with spinal cord injury previously sedentary without previous experience with the sport. Method. Nine subjects underwent swimming training three times a week for 14 weeks at moderate intensity. Results. Participants increased 40% their distances for swimming at the end of study. The lipid profile was analyzed in fasting before and after training. The swimming training increases 15.0% in HDL-C (HDL; p≤0.10). The TC (total cholesterol), TC / HDL-C (HDL cholesterol), LDL-C (LDL), and LDL-C/HDL-C variables did not change in the control group (n=9). Conclusions. Swimming produced positive changes in HDL cholesterol and has the potential to mitigate one of the risk factors of cardiovascular disease in this population.