Abstract for presentation at 6th World Congress on Brain Injury

The purpose of this research was to investigate the efficacy of a 12 week isokinetic conditioning program for the lower limbs in 12 young adults with Acquired Brain Injury (ABI).
There is strong evidence that young adults following ABI have on-going issues with physical impairments and functional limitations many years after their brain injury, and that these limitations are substantial and restrictive.
The research was in the form of a series of single case studies, with an A-B-A design. For each subject, a series of isokinetic (strength, power, tone) and mobility (gait speed and time to rise from a chair) assessments were performed. The last assessment was performed 4 weeks after cessation of the program to determine any carryover effect. The Short Form-36 questionnaire (SF-36) and semi-structured interviews were administered pre- and post-exercise to reflect the life satisfaction of subjects and their perspective on the benefits of the conditioning program.
The conditioning program resulted in improvements in muscle performance with corresponding functional improvements, in particular fast walking velocity, repeated chair rises and participation in activities the subjects valued. There was a carryover effect after the program ceased for some measures. There was no deleterious effect on tone in response to the exercise program.
Quality of life of all subjects, assessed by using the SF36 questionnaire, also improved, particularly in the area of physical functioning. Occupational status, vitality, self-esteem and optimism were further common themes of improvement obtained from interview data at the completion of the exercise program.
Ramifications are that many such individuals may benefit from strengthening programs either at local gyms or by participating in home exercise programs in contrast to traditional one to one therapy , so that individuals in need may be able to be supported in a more efficacious and inexpensive manner.