Cochrane Systematic Review

Title: Physical exercise training to increase cardiorespiratory fitness in people with spinal cord injury

Good to know: Structured exercise training may improve cardiorespiratory fitness in people with spinal cord injury in the short term (low-certainty evidence). Its effects on functional fitness, quality of life, depression and anxiety, and adverse events remain uncertain (very low-certainty evidence).

Limitations: Most trials were small and had methodological limitations. Only one trial assessed effects more than six weeks after training ended, and data on many outcomes relevant to participants were sparse.

Evidence: Cochrane Review (published in August 2026); 17 studies with 505 participants, of which 15 studies with 337 participants contributed to quantitative analyses; comparison of structured exercise training with no exercise training.