Comparing endurance- and resistance-exercise training in people with multiple sclerosis: a randomized pilot study

• Published in: Clinical rehabilitation Vol. 25; no. 1; pp. 14 - 24
• Main Authors: Sabapathy, Nicole M, Minahan, Clare L, Turner, Grant T, Broadley, Simon A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: UK SAGE Publications 01.01.2011; Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: Activities of Daily Living; Aged; Community health; Cross-Over Studies; Depression - etiology; Exercise; Fatigue; Female; Fitness training programs; Hand Strength; Health status; Humans; Investigations; Male; Middle Aged; Mobility Limitation; Multiple sclerosis; Multiple Sclerosis - physiopathology; Multiple Sclerosis - psychology; Multiple Sclerosis - rehabilitation; Muscle strength; Physical Endurance - physiology; Physical therapy; Pilot Projects; Postural Balance; Quality of Life; Research ethics; Resistance Training - methods; Sickness Impact Profile; Strength training; Queensland Australia; Australia
• ISSN: 0269-2155; 1477-0873; 1477-0873
• DOI: 10.1177/0269215510375908

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare adaptations in functional and quality of life measures following endurance- and resistance-exercise training in people with multiple sclerosis. Design: Cross-over design with an eight-week washout period. Setting: Community health centre. Subjects: Sixteen individuals with multiple sclerosis. Intervention: Subjects completed both an eight-week endurance- and an eight-week resistance-exercise training programme in a randomized order. The exercise training comprised individualized progressive programmes that were completed twice weekly in a supervised group setting. Main measures: Grip strength, functional reach, four step square, timed up and go and six-minute walk tests, Multiple Sclerosis Impact and Modified Fatigue Impact Scales, Becks Depression Inventory and the Health Status Questionnaire Short Form-36. Results: Sixteen of 21 (76%) subjects completed the study. Subjects attended 13.2 ± 1.6 endurance- and 15.8 ± 1.9 resistance-exercise training sessions. No adverse events were reported. No significant differences (P < 0.05) in any outcome measures were observed between the two exercise training programmes either at baseline or following the completion of both training programmes. Conclusion: Both endurance- and resistance-exercise training were well tolerated and appear to provide similar effects for people with multiple sclerosis, but larger studies are required to confirm these findings.