Exercise Training in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Stian Hammer, Michel Toussaint, Maria Vollsæter and 5 others
PMID 35642324WHAT IT FOUND
Exercise training may improve muscle strength and endurance in Duchenne muscular dystrophy, but evidence is very low.
Primary outcomes of daily function and quality of life showed no clear benefit. Safety data is lacking, so do not assume these gains translate to better daily living.
Key findings
01The meta-analysis showed improvements in muscular strength and endurance, but the certainty of this evidence was rated as very low.
02The primary outcomes of functioning and health-related quality of life did not show clear effects, and a meta-analysis for these outcomes was not possible due to heterogeneity.
03Safety was not systematically reported in the included studies, and five participants died during the study periods due to respiratory failure or infection.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The certainty of evidence is very low for all key outcomes due to high risk of bias, small sample sizes, and large heterogeneity between studies. It was not possible to perform a meta-analysis for the primary outcomes (functioning and quality of life) because the studies measured them differently. Most participants were children, so results may not apply to adults with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Safety data was not systematically reported, and the study cannot confirm whether exercise training is safe for this population. The 'usual care' control groups were not uniformly described, so some controls may have also exercised.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the statistically significant improvements in muscle strength and endurance as evidence that exercise training improves daily function or quality of life. The primary outcomes were null or unclear, and the certainty of evidence for the positive secondary findings is very low.