Perceived exertion responses to wheelchair propulsion differ between novice able-bodied and trained wheelchair sportspeople

ObjectivesTo investigate peripheral (RPE_P) and central (RPE_C) Ratings of Perceived Exertion during wheelchair propulsion in untrained able-bodied (AB) participants, and trained wheelchair rugby athletes with and without cervical spinal cord injury (CSCI).DesignCross-sectional study.Methods38 participants (AB: n = 20; wheelchair rugby athletes with CSCI: n = 9; without CSCI: n = 9) completed an incremental wheelchair propulsion test to exhaustion on a motorised treadmill. Gas exchange measures and heart rate (HR) were collected throughout. RPE_P and RPE_C on the Category Ratio-10 were verbally recorded each minute. Blood lactate concentration (BLa]) was determined post-test.ResultsBetween 50–100% peak oxygen uptake (V?O_2peak), RPE_P was greater than RPE_C in AB (p < 0.05), but not in athletes with (p = 0.07) or without (p = 0.16) CSCI. RPE_P was greater in AB compared to players with CSCI (Effect sizes: 1.24–1.62), as were respiratory exchange ratio (1.02 ± 0.10 vs 0.82 ± 0.11, p < 0.05) and BLa]_peak (7.98 ± 2.53 vs 4.66 ± 1.57 mmol·L^?1). RPE_C was greater in athletes without CSCI compared to those with CSCI (Effect sizes: 0.70–1.38), as were HR (166 ± 20 vs 104 ± 15 beats·min^?1, p < 0.05) and ventilation (59.2 ± 28.8 vs 35.1 ± 16.6 L·min^?1, p = 0.01).ConclusionsRPE_P was dominant over RPE_C during wheelchair propulsion for untrained AB participants. For athletes with CSCI, lower RPE_P and RPE_C were reported at the same %V?O_2peak compared to those without CSCI. The mechanism for this remains to be fully elucidated.