Study design: Systematic review.
Objective: To determine the effectiveness of body weight-support treadmill training (BWSTT) for muscle atrophy management in people with spinal cord injury (SCI).
Setting: Studies from multiple countries were included.
Methods: The following databases were consulted from January to October 2013: PubMed, Institute for Scientific Information (ISI), Science Direct and Lilacs. The methodological quality of the articles included was classified according to Jovell and Navarro-Rubio.
Results: A total of five studies were included. These studies reported a significant association between BWSTT and increased trophism of the lower limb muscles of humans with SCI, which was observed as an increase in the cross-sectional area. Moreover, improvements in the ability to generate peak torque, contract the knee extensors and ankle plantarflexors with reduction of body weight support were observed after BWSTT.
Conclusion: The results were considered inconclusive because of the low methodological quality of the articles, which was because of the absence of sample homogeneity, thereby providing a low level of evidence for clinical practice.