Comparison of blood lactate elimination in individuals with paraplegia and able-bodied individuals during active recovery from exhaustive exercise

Abstract

Background/Objective: The aim of the present study was to compare blood lactate elimination between individuals with paraplegia (P) and able-bodied (AB) individuals after strenuous arm exercise. Methods: Eight P and 8 AB men (matched for age, height, and weight) participated in this study. Average weekly arm-training volume for P participants (eg, hand bike, wheelchair basketball) and AB participants (eg, swimming, rowing, cross-country skiing) was 4.1 ± 1.6 vs 2.8 ± 0.8 h. A maximal-arm-cranking intensity-graded exercise test to volitional exhaustion was performed by all test participants. Immediately after the exercise test, the participants performed arm cranking for another 30 minutes at a workload of one third of the maximally achieved power output. During this active recovery, mixed-capillary blood samples were taken for lactate analysis. Results: The lactate accumulation constant was significantly higher for P individuals, whereas the lactate elimination constant showed no significant difference between the two groups. Conclusions: Individuals with paraplegia seem to have no disadvantages in lactate elimination after exhaustive arm exercise compared with able-bodied individuals. © 2008 by the American Paraplegia Society.