Resistance Exercise May Help in Early ALS


People with early-stage amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) who engaged in a supervised resistance exercise program had better muscle function after six months than a similar group that participated only in a stretching program, say U.S. and Canadian researchers.

Although the debate persists over whether or not exercise is beneficial or detrimental in ALS, these latest study results represent a potential first step toward resolving the longstanding controversy.

The research team, which included a physician and physical therapists associated with MDA ALS Centers in New York and St. Louis, found that even though exercise may not have any ultimate influence on disease progression, it may temporarily slow loss of strength and function and minimize muscle wasting that results from lack of movement.

In their paper published in the June 5 issue of Neurology, the investigators say they randomly assigned 13 out of 27 subjects with mild to moderate weakness to a regimen of stretching and resistance exercise. They assigned the other 14 to a control group that performed only stretching exercises. Eight people in the stretching plus resistance exercise group and 10 in the stretching group completed the trial.

The stretching routine was the same for both groups and was performed daily, while those in the resistance exercise group added individual exercises based on their strength three times a week.

The resistance training exercises, designed to work targeted muscle groups, were prescribed at a moderate load (weight) and intensity (repetition count) as a means of decreasing the risk of muscle damage due to overwork or fatigue.

After initial instruction, all exercises were performed at home, with telephone monitoring every two weeks and physical assessments every month.

“Our study, although small, showed that the resistance exercise group had significantly better function, measured by the ALS Functional Rating Scale and upper and lower extremity subscale scores, and quality of life without adverse effects as compared to subjects receiving usual care,” said physical therapist and study author Julaine Florence.

“Moderate resistance exercise was shown to maintain better function in ALS as compared to range of motion exercises, and there were no deleterious effects to the active exercise.” (Florence directs clinical studies at the Washington University Neuromuscular Disease Center and has long been associated with the MDA clinic and MDA/ALS Center at that institution.)

The authors concluded that “patients with ALS should be encouraged to engage in individualized resistance programs that are nonfatiguing.”


http://www.als-mda.org/research/news..._exercise.html