Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury: Effects of Corporal Suspension and Pendulum Exercises

The CHORDATA® Method (16 sessions; 50 minutes each; twice a week) consisted of three exercises: (1) anterior pendulum, with the patient seated on a chair, upper limb suspended by springs and straps, and actively moving the trunk forward; (2) posterior pendulum exercise, on a similar position as exercise (1) but now moving the trunk backwards and recruiting the abdominal wall muscles during a posterior pelvic tilt motion; and (3) stand-up and sit-down exercise, patient with knees fixed anteriorly, initiating the standing-up movement by pulling back and down the springs, trying to maintain the standing position for as long as possible, balancing the trunk and transferring the supporting force from the upper limbs to the lower limbs.