Response of the arterial blood pressure of quadriplegic patients to treadmill gait training

Blood pressure pattern was analyzed in 12 complete quadriplegics with chronic lesions after three months of treadmill gait training. Before training, blood pressure values were obtained at rest, during treadmill walking and during the recovery phase. Gait training was performed for 20 min twice a week for three months. Treadmill gait was achieved using neuromuscular electrical stimulation, assisted by partial body weight relief (30-50%). After training, blood pressure was evaluated at rest, during gait and during recovery phase. Before and after training, mean systolic blood pressures and heart rates increased significantly during gait compared to rest (94.16 ± 5.15 to 105 ± 5.22 mmHg and 74.27 ± 10.09 to 106.23 ± 17.31 bpm, respectively), and blood pressure decreased significantly in the recovery phase (86.66 ± 9.84 and 57.5 ± 8.66 mmHg, respectively). After three months of training, systolic blood pressure became higher at rest (94.16 ± 5.15 mmHg before training and 100 ± 8.52 mmHg after training; P < 0.05) and during gait exercise (105 ± 5.22 mmHg before and 110 ± 7.38 mmHg after training; P < 0.05) when compared to the initial values, with no changes in heart rate. No changes occurred in blood pressure during the recovery phase, with the lower values being maintained. A drop in systolic pressure from 105 ± 5.22 to 86.66 ± 9.84 mmHg before training and from 110 ± 7.38 to 90 ± 7.38 mmHg after training was noticed immediately after exercise, thus resulting in hypotensive symptoms when chronic quadriplegics reach the sitting position from the upright position.