Objective: In wheelchair rugby (WR) athletes with tetraplegia, wheelchair performance may be impaired due to (partial) loss of innervation of upper extremity and trunk muscles, and low blood pressure (BP). The objective was to assess the effects of electrical stimulation (ES)-induced co-contraction of trunk muscles on trunk stability, arm force/power, BP, and WR performance.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Rehabilitation research laboratory and WR court.

Participants: Eleven WR athletes with tetraplegia.

Interventions: ES was applied to the rectus abdominis, obliquus externus abdominis and erector spinae muscles. For every test, the ES condition was compared to the non-ES condition.

Outcome measures: Stability was assessed with reaching tasks, arm force/power with an isokinetic test on a dynamometer, BP during an ES protocol and WR skill performance with the USA Wheelchair Rugby Skill Assessment.

Results: Overall reaching distance (ES 14.6 ± 7.5 cm, non-ES 13.4 ± 8.2 cm), and BP showed a significant increase with ES. Arm force (ES 154 ± 106 N, non-ES 148 ± 102 N) and power (ES 37 ± 26 W, non-ES 36 ± 25 W), and WR skills were not significantly improved.

Conclusion: ES-induced trunk muscle activation positively affects trunk stability and BP, but not arm force/power. No effects were found in WR skill performance, probably due to abdominal strapping. More research is needed to assess different ES (training) protocols and longitudinal effects.

目的：在患有四肢瘫痪的轮椅橄榄球 (WR) 运动员中，由于上肢和躯干肌肉的（部分）神经支配丧失以及低血压 (BP)，轮椅性能可能会受损。目的是评估电刺激 (ES) 诱导的躯干肌肉共同收缩对躯干稳定性、手臂力量/力量、BP 和 WR 表现的影响。

设计：横断面研究。

设置：康复研究实验室和 WR 球场。

参与者： 11 名患有四肢瘫痪的 WR 运动员。

干预措施： ES 应用于腹直肌、腹外斜肌和竖脊肌。对于每个测试，将 ES 条件与非 ES 条件进行比较。

结果测量：稳定性通过到达任务进行评估，在测力计上进行等速测试的手臂力量/力量，ES 协议期间的 BP 和美国轮椅橄榄球技能评估的 WR 技能表现。

结果：总体到达距离（ES 14.6 ± 7.5 cm，非 ES 13.4 ± 8.2 cm），BP 随 ES 显着增加。臂力（ES 154 ± 106 N，非 ES 148 ± 102 N）和功率（ES 37 ± 26 W，非 ES 36 ± 25 W）和 WR 技能没有显着提高。

结论： ES 诱导的躯干肌肉激活对躯干稳定性和血压有积极影响，但对手臂力量/力量没有影响。在 WR 技能表现中没有发现任何影响，可能是由于腹部绑带。需要更多的研究来评估不同的 ES（培训）协议和纵向效应。