International Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Open Access
ISSN: 2329-9096
ISSN: 2329-9096
Ashraf S. Gorgey
Virginia Commonwealth University, USA
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Int J Phys Med Rehabil
Spinal cord injury (SCI) negatively impacts muscle quality and bone health. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation-resistance training (NMES-RT) has been shown to enhance muscle quality. It is unclear whether adding NMES-RT to functional electrical stimulation (FES)-lower extremity cycling or FES-rowing may further augment muscle quality and subsequently enhance bone mineral density (BMD) and trabecular microarchitecture. We, hereby, present findings from two clinical trials that are conducted in our lab. Both randomized clinical trials implemented different durations of 6 and 9 months. The first trial enrolled 32 participants that were evenly randomized into 12 weeks of NMES-RT followed by 12 weeks of FES- lower extremity cycling (NMES-RT+FES; n=16) or 12 weeks of passive movement training (PMT) followed by 12 weeks of FES- lower extremity cycling (PMT+FES; n=16). The second trial enrolled six participants that were randomized into either 9 months of vitamin D+ electrical stimulation exercise (vit D+ES-Excs) or vit D+ passive movement training (PMT) groups. The vit D+ESExcs underwent daily supplementation of vit D with 4.5 months of neuromuscular electrical stimulation-resistance training (NMES-RT) followed by 4.5 months of functional electrical stimulation (FES)- rowing, twice weekly, using a home-based training approach. Isokinetic dynamometer was used to measure knee extensor isometric and isokinetic toques. Magnetic resonance imaging measured whole thigh and knee extensor (KE) muscle CSAs and trabecular microarchitectures of the distal femur and proximal tibia. Dual energy x-ray absorptiometry measured total and regional BMD. Finally, bone biomarkers were captured at different points of the study. Measurements were obtained at baseline, mid intervention (P1) and at the end of the study (P2).
My background is in Rehabilitation and Exercise Physiology with special interest in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). My research work has focused on investigating rehabilitation strategies that could improve the quality of life in individuals with SCI and minimize SCI health related secondary complications. I am primarily interested in applications of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) and vit D supplements to augment exercise interventions to evoke skeletal muscle hypertrophy, improve bone mineral density (BMD), and cardiometabolic profiles. I also serve as a Research Clinical Specialist at the Spinal Cord Injury Service & Disorders and Director of the SCI Research at the CVVAHS. I have a dual appointment as Professor, VCU Center for Rehabilitation Science and Engineering, Department of PM&R, School of Medicine. I have been awarded number of SCI research grants including VA Rehabilitation Research and Development and DoD-CDRMP awards to study the effects of exercise training using assistive technologies and neurostimulations techniques after SCI.