exercise/resistance training effectiveness

January 5, 2005

Mike,

This is a repost of an abstract on a CMT exercise study from Arch Phys Med

Rehabil. 2004 Aug;85(8):1217-23 you might want to share this with your Dr. I

can also put you in touch with the lead researcher on this if you need more info

or your Dr. can be in touch directly.

~ Gretchen

Resistance training effectiveness in patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease:

recommendations for exercise prescription.

Chetlin RD, Gutmann L, Tarnopolsky M, Ullrich IH, Yeater RA.

Department of Human Performance & Applied Exercise Science, School of Medicine,

West Virginia University, town, WV 26506-9139, USA.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the effects of a 12-week, home-based resistance

exercise program on strength, body composition, and activities of daily living

(ADLs) in men and women with Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease and to design an

ADL-based resistance exercise prescription template.

DESIGN: Double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

SETTING: Testing in a university setting; exercise in patients' homes.

PARTICIPANTS: Twenty CMT patients who volunteered. I

NTERVENTION: Subjects progressively strength trained at home 3 d/wk for 12

weeks.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Timed ADLs, isometric strength, and body composition.

RESULTS: Absolute strength was greater in men with CMT in only 4 of 10 baseline

measures (P<.05), but not when strength was normalized by lean mass. Training

compliance was 87% with no gender differences. At baseline, women had 80% of

normal strength in 4 of 10 measures, whereas men did not achieve 80% of normal

strength in any measure. After training, women had 80% of normal strength in 8

of 10 measures, whereas men only had 80% of normal strength in 1. Training

volumes and strength change scores showed no gender differences. ADLs improved

after training with no gender differences (P<.05). An exercise prescription

template was developed by using chair-rise time to estimate starting weights for

lower body and supine rise for upper body. CONCLUSIONS: Resistance training

improved strength and ADLs equally in men and women. We designed an exercise

prescription recommendation, based on ADL performance.

Recommended Posts