What level of spinal cord injury allows athletes to utilize "boost" through autonomic dysreflexia?

Athletes with spinal cord injuries at the T6 vertebral level and above can experience autonomic dysreflexia, which is a potentially life-threatening condition caused by a noxious stimulus below the level of injury. This condition can trigger an exaggerated sympathetic nervous system response. In individuals with such injuries, the autonomic regulation is disrupted, and the body produces an intense vasoconstrictive response leading to elevated blood pressure and other symptoms.

In the context of sports, some athletes leverage this phenomenon, known as "boosting," to enhance their performance. The process involves inducing autonomic dysreflexia to temporarily increase cardiac output and improve physical performance. Boosting is more commonly exploited by athletes with injuries in the cervical and upper thoracic regions because they can achieve a sufficient sympathetic response, which ultimately allows them to gain an advantage in endurance and output during competition.

Injuries at T10 and below typically do not allow for this significant autonomic response, as the sympathetic fibers from the spinal cord primarily descend from levels above T6. Therefore, T6 and above is the critical threshold for the potential use of boosting in athletes with spinal cord injuries.