Influence of neurological level of injury in bones, muscles, and fat in paraplegia

Abstract

To investigate the influence of the neurological level of injury in bone mineral content (BMC) and mechanical properties, lean mass (LM), and fat mass (FM) among paraplegics with a similar duration of paralysis (DOP), we separated 30 paraplegics into group A (15 men, high-level paraplegia) and group B (15 men, low-level paraplegia) and compared them with group C (33 men, nondisabled). In all subjects, we measured stress-strain index (SSI) at 14% (SSI(2)) and 38% (SSI(3)) of the tibia length and the difference between them using peripheral quantitative computed tomography (XCT 3000 [Stratec Medizintechnik, Pforzheim, Germany]) and lower-limb BMC, LM, and FM (g) using whole-body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (Norland XR-36 [Norland Medical Systems, Inc; Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin]). Bone strength parameters, BMC, and LM were statistically decreased, but we found no difference in paraplegic FM compared with group C. We found a correlation between the DOP and the difference between SSI 3 and SSI 2 in group B (r = 0.53, p = 0.03 and r = 0.5, p = 0.04, respectively). We correlated DOP with FM in group A's lower limbs (r = 0.5, p = 0.05). Because of the nonsignificant DOP, the groups with paraplegia act differently in tibia mechanical properties and lower-limb body composition.