Article

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of an eight-week home-based arm ergometry
aerobic exercise programme on physical fitness, fatigue, activity and quality of
life in Polio Survivors. DESIGN: An assessor blinded randomised controlled trial.
SETTING: Home-based exercise. SUBJECTS: Fifty-five Polio survivors randomised to
exercise or control groups. INTERVENTION: Home-based arm ergometry at an
intensity of 50%-70% maximum heart rate, compared with usual physiotherapy care.
MAIN MEASURES: The Six-minute Arm Test, Fatigue Severity Scale, Physical Activity
Scale for Individuals with Physical Disabilities and SF-36. Assessments were
completed at baseline and at eight weeks. RESULTS:
There was no significant
difference in the primary outcome, exercising heart rate during the Six-minute
Arm Test, between the groups at follow-up [97.6 (SD10.1) compared to 102.4
(SD13.7) beats per minute (P=0.20)]. Blood pressure was significantly lower in
the intervention group at follow-up [systolic blood pressure 132(18.6)mmHg
compared to 144.1(14.6)mmHg
( P=0.002)]. There were no between group differences
in the Fatigue Severity Scale
( P=0.25) or Physical Activity Scale for
Individuals with Physical Disabilities ( P=0.49), with a small difference in
SF-36 physical component score ( P=0.04). CONCLUSIONS:
This home-based arm
ergometry programme successfully facilitated aerobic exercise in Polio Survivors,
but did not result in a significant change in physical fitness, measured by the Six-minute Arm Test.

Langue : ANGLAIS