The influence of time-of-day on physiological and perceptual responses to exercise in people with spinal cord injury living in the community

About the Project

This project aims to determine whether there is a time-of-day effect on the physiological and perceptual cost to exercise, for people living with a spinal cord injury in the community. The expected outcome of this proof of concept project is to provide preliminary evidence for when exercise training should be undertaken. Such refinement of exercise scheduling would be expected to have positive effects on long-term health, reducing the risk of developing any secondary health complications.

Project significance and expected outcome:

The information and knowledge generated from this project may provide insight into when individuals living in the community with spinal cord injury should undertake exercise, so to reduce the residual effects of fatigue that could inhibit activities of daily living.

This project has the potential to improve the recommendation provided by clinicians and physical therapists to their patients to optimise physical recovery. At a systemic level, the research findings may enhance the physical therapy procedures of health providers, rehabilitation clinics and hospitals which may reduce the duration of patient admissions and result in long-term cost saving benefits.

Project Status:

The project received ethics approval in December 2020 and has just commenced with early pilot testing, recruitment and data collection occurring in the first six months of 2021. The project time-frame is 12 months.

Project Funding:

This project is funded by a Hopkins Centre Seed Grant and the Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC).

The project is proudly supported by Griffith University; the Division of Rehabilitation at Princess Alexandra Hospital, Metro South Hospital and Health Service; Queensland University of Technology; and the University of Queensland.

Research Team:

Dr David Borg, THC, Griffith University 

Miss Kate Hutchins, THC, Griffith University 

Professor Norman Morris, THC, Griffith University and The Prince Charles Hospital, Metro North Hospital and Health Service 

Dr Sridhar Atresh, THC, Griffith University and Division of Rehabilitation, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Metro South Hospital and Health Service 

Emilie Gollan, Division of Rehabilitation, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Metro South Hospital and Health Service

Dr Dinesh Palipana, THC, Griffith University and Division of Rehabilitation, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Metro South Hospital and Health Service 

Dr Surendran Sabapathy, School of Allied health Sciences, Griffith University, Gold Coast

Elizabeth Walter, Division of Rehabilitation, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Metro South Hospital and Health Service

Professor Stewart Trost, Children’s Centre for Health Research (CCHR), Queensland University of Technology

Associate Professor Sean Tweedy, School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, University of Queensland

Associate Professor Christopher Drovandi, The Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers and School of Mathematical Sciences at the Queensland University of Technology.