FES Rowing
Functional Electrical Stimulation is the artificial activation of targeted paralysed muscle. In FES Rowing, electrodes placed on the skin, and controlled by the user, mean that the rower’s legs can be moved to produce a normal rowing action.
Following their injury, most people with spinal cord injuries cannot voluntarily exercise enough muscle mass to gain the benefits of a full body workout. The muscle mass in the upper body is small compared to the rest of the body and this has implications for the maximum intensity that can be reached. FES Rowing is the only cardiovascular exercise available to a person with a spinal cord injury where their whole body is actively involved in the exercise and the potential health benefits are enormous.
Aspire has been at the forefront of the pilot programme established to determine the feasibility of FES Rowing as a viable form of regular exercise. The results of the pilot scheme have been extremely encouraging and we are now looking to move FES Rowing out of its research phase and make it available to everyone who wants to use it. Over the coming months, this will mean working to establish the production of a commercially available FES Rowing Machine. When the publically available model is in production, Aspire will begin a concerted campaign to establish FES Rowing facilities not just at the Aspire National Training Centre, but at locations around the UK too.