Verification testing to confirm VO₂max attainment in persons with spinal cord injury

Abstract

Context/Objective:

Maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂max) is a widely used measure of cardiorespiratory fitness, aerobic function, and overall health risk. Although VO₂max has been measured for almost 100 yr, no standardized criteria exist to verify VO₂max attainment. Studies document that incidence of ‘true’ VO₂max obtained from incremental exercise (INC) can be confirmed using a subsequent verification test (VER). In this study, we examined efficacy of VER in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI).

Design:

Repeated measures, within-subjects study.

Setting:

University laboratory in San Diego, CA.

Participants:

Ten individuals (age and injury duration = 33.3 ± 10.5 yr and 6.8 ± 6.2 yr) with SCI and 10 able-bodied (AB) individuals (age = 24.1 ± 7.4 yr).

Interventions:

Peak oxygen uptake (VO₂peak) was determined during INC on an arm ergometer followed by VER at 105 percent of peak power output (% PPO).

Outcome Measures:

Gas exchange data, heart rate (HR), and blood lactate concentration (BLa) were measured during exercise.

Results:

Across all participants, VO₂peak was highly related between protocols (ICC = 0.98) and the mean difference was equal to 0.08 ± 0.11 L/min. Compared to INC, VO₂peak from VER was not different in SCI (1.30 ± 0.45 L/min vs. 1.31 ± 0.43 L/min) but higher in AB (1.63 ± 0.40 L/min vs. 1.76 ± 0.40 L/min).

Conclusion:

Data show similar VO₂peak between incremental and verification tests in SCI, suggesting that VER confirms VO₂max attainment. However, in AB participants completing arm ergometry, VER is essential to validate appearance of ‘true’ VO₂peak.

Keywords:

• VO₂max incidence
• Paralysis
• Arm ergometry
• Oxygen uptake
• Blood lactate concentration

Acknowledgements

The authors thank all participants for taking part in the protocol described in this study.

Disclaimer statements

Funding Funding was obtained for this project from a University GPSM grant, yet no federal funding (NIH, NSF, etc.) was obtained.

Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest in the completion of this study.