Influence of different stimulation frequencies on power output and fatigue during FES-cycling in recently injured SCI people

This study investigated whether power output during 30 min sessions of functional electrical stimulation (FES)-cycling can be increased by using stimulation frequencies higher than 30 Hz. The stimulation frequencies of FES-cycling training sessions of 19 recently injured para- and tetraplegics were randomly set at 30, 50, or 60 Hz and power output (PO) was measured continually. The mean PO of the 30 min, the PO of the last minute of each session, and the minimum PO were significantly greater at 60 and 50 Hz than at 30 Hz (ANOVA without cross-product). A 19% and 25% higher mean PO was reached at 50 and 60 Hz, respectively, compared to 30 Hz. The PO of the last minute of each session was almost always higher than the mean PO of the whole session and also higher at higher frequencies, which indicates that no muscle fatigue could be detected in 30 min FES-cycling at any of the tested frequencies.