What are the effects of strength training and aerobic exercise training for muscle disease? - A Cochrane Review summary with commentary.
Ayesha Afridi, Farooq Azam Rathore
PMID 34559242WHAT IT FOUND
Evidence for exercise in muscle disease remains uncertain.
Strength training may have little effect, while aerobic exercise might improve capacity in some conditions. No negative effects were found, suggesting supervised trials of exercise are safe despite limited proof of benefit.
Key findings
01The review concludes that the effects of strength and aerobic exercise training in patients with muscle diseases are uncertain.
02There is low certainty evidence that strength training alone may have little or no effect, while aerobic exercise may possibly improve aerobic capacity for people with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy.
03There were no documented negative effects of any exercise training program.
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 evidence is of low to very low certainty. Six studies had high dropout rates (up to 39%). Seven studies did not perform intention-to-treat analysis. The population was heterogeneous, with different muscle diseases potentially responding differently to exercise. Results for one type of muscle disorder cannot be directly applied to another.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the lack of negative effects as proof of efficacy. The review explicitly states that the effects of exercise are uncertain, and strength training alone may have little to no impact on muscle strength.