Participant characteristics at baseline
| Characteristic | Sham training (n=32) | Active training (n=30) |
| Age (years)* | 55.7±14.9 | 51.5±14.3 |
| Sex (male : female) | 28:4 | 30:0 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2)* | 25.6±6.3 | 24.5±5.0 |
| Single neurological level of spinal cord injury, no of participants | ||
| C4 | 10 | 11 |
| C5 | 6 | 6 |
| C6 | 8 | 8 |
| C7 | 8 | 5 |
| American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale, no of participants | ||
| A (motor complete) | 16 | 16 |
| B (motor complete) | 4 | 5 |
| C (motor incomplete) | 12 | 9 |
| No of participants | ||
| Acute (<6 months) | 15 | 15 |
| Chronic (>1 year) | 17 | 15 |
| Time since injury | ||
| Acute (<6 months) in days | 92.5±43.4 | 83.8±47.7 |
| Chronic (>1 year) in years | 23.1±15.6 | 25.4±13.0 |
| Lung function measures* | ||
| Maximal inspiratory pressure (cmH2O) | 51.5±19.7 | 48.4±22.6 |
| Maximal expiratory pressure (cmH2O) | 33.2±14.0 | 32.8±18.2 |
| Vital capacity (L) | 2.7±0.9 | 2.4±0.9 |
| Inspiratory capacity (L) | 2.1±0.7 | 20.±0.7 |
| Peak expiratory cough flow (L/s) | 4.7±1.6 | 4.6±1.5 |
| FEV1 (L/s) | 1.8±0.7 | 1.9±0.8 |
| FVC (L/s) | 2.4±1.0 | 2.5±1.0 |
| Total lung capacity (L) | 4.9±1.2 | 5.0±1.2 |
| Quality of life: SF-36ww† score/100 | ||
| Physical functioning | 30 (0–70) | 30 (15–75) |
| Role limitations (physical health) | 25 (0–100) | 50 (0–100) |
| Role limitations (emotional problems) | 100 (17–100) | 100 (67–100) |
| Energy/fatigue | 55 (30–73) | 50 (35–70) |
| Emotional well-being | 76 (58–92) | 80 (60–84) |
| Social functioning | 50 (13–75) | 75 (50–88) |
| Pain | 68 (40–80) | 48 (38–68) |
| General health | 60 (25–73) | 45 (25–70) |
| Quality of life: EQ-5D VAS | 55 (40–74) | 60 (48–71) |
| Perceived breathlessness (Borg)*(score/10) | ||
| At rest | 0.8±1.0 | 0.8±1.1 |
| During 10 inspiratory loaded breaths at 15 cmH2O | 3.4±2.0 | 2.9±2.1 |
| During 10 expiratory loaded breaths at 15 cmH2O | 4.3±2.4 | 3.4±1.7 |
| St George Respiratory Questionnaire† | ||
| Symptoms score | 21.6 (0.0–36.2) | 24.7 (11.1–37.5) |
| Activity score | 0.0 (0.0–20.3) | 6.8 (0.0–28.4) |
| Impacts score | 12.4 (5.2–25.1) | 12.2 (1.2–27.0) |
| Total score | 13.5 (6.0–20.3) | 11.0 (3.9–29.5) |
*Mean±SD.
†Median (IQR).
EQ-5D VAS, EuroQol-Five Dimensional Visual Analogue Scale; SF-36ww, Short Form Health Survey: walk/wheel.