The effects of a physiotherapist-led exercise intervention on peripheral neuropathy among people living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy in Kigali, Rwanda.

Only the assessor was blinded, and the paper does not report participant or exercise staff blinding. People who could not walk without support, had active opportunistic infections, diabetes, substance abuse, vitamin B12 deficiency, tuberculosis, renal failure, hypothyroidism, musculoskeletal or central neurological impairments, or other neuropathy causes were excluded. The exercise group received routine health care, antiretroviral therapy, analgesics, antidepressants, multivitamins, routine medical consultations, CD4 testing and counselling in addition to exercise, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated. The study did not assess whether participants continued exercising at home after the supervised programme. The trial was registered retrospectively. The paper reports that specialised nerve conduction instruments were unavailable, and the outcome was assessed with the Brief Peripheral Neuropathy Screen rather than electrophysiological testing.

Do not conclude that exercise improved all parts of peripheral neuropathy. The study found no significant differences in objective signs, including vibration sense and ankle reflexes, after the intervention or after a further 12 weeks.