Muscular Dystrophies
Conditions
Keywords
exercise therapy, muscle strength, exercise tolerance, muscular dystrophies
Brief summary
Muscular Dystrophies (MD) are a heterogeneous group of diseases characterised by muscle wasting that lead to progressive loss of function. Although exercise training has been traditionally neglected to these patients due to concerns regarding muscle damage, research has shown that exercise therapy is safe and tolerable in this population and can lead to potential gains in endurance and muscle strength, as well as other patient-reported outcomes such as health-related quality of life.Therefore, in this study, the investigators aim to examine the feasibility, tolerability and safety as well as the effects of a 12-week, exercise-training program in patients with MD on functional capacity, muscle strength, and health-related quality of life.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALExercise Training
12-week exercise training program including a combination of endurance and resistance training for 45 minutes, twice a week.
Sponsors
Hospital Clinic of Barcelona
Universitat Pompeu Fabra
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Masking description
Post-training assessments will be conducted by a blinded assessor
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Clinical or Genetically diagnosis of Muscular Dystrophy including Limb-Girdle type I and type II, Myotonic Dystrophy type I and type II and facioscapulohumeral dystrophy. * Age \> 18 years old * Ability to walk independently for 10 or more metres
Exclusion criteria
* Inability to understand or read Spanish/Catalan. * Patients engaging in a similar exercise-based program in the past 12 months * Patients with severe cognitive, neurological or musculoskeletal impairment unable to participate in the exercise program * Unstable respiratory, cardiovascular or metabolic disease
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Timed Up and Go | 1 week post-intervention | Time consumed by the patient to raise from a chair, walk 3 meters, turn 180º, walk 3 metres back and sit down on the chair |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Upper Body Muscle Strength | 1 week post-intervention | Muscle strength of the biceps brachii will be assessed with a hand-held dynamometer |
| Lower Body Muscle Strength | 1 week post-intervention | Muscle strength of the quadriceps will be assessed with a hand-held dynamometer |
| Handgrip Strength | 1 week post-intervention | Handgrip strength will be assessed with a hydraulic dynamometer. |
| Health-Related Quality of Life | 1 week post-intervention | HRQoL will be measured with the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12). The score of the scale goes from 0 - 100, with higher scores representing better health-related quality of life. |
| Body Weight | 1 week post-intervention | Body weight (kg) |
| Short Physical Performance Battery | 1 week post-intervention | Score in this test is derived from three assessments: balance, gait speed and lower limb muscle performance |
| Percentage of fat-free mass | 1 week post-intervention | Percentage of fat-free mass will be obtained through bio-impedance analysis |
| Percentage of fat mass | 1 week post-intervention | Percentage of fat mass will be obtained through bio-impedance analysis |
| Fatigue | 1 week post-intervention | Fatigue will be quantified with the Brief Fatigue Inventory. The scale has 9 items with a maximal score of 10 points. Higher scores represent heavier fatigue. |
| Respiratory Muscle Strength | 1 week post-intervention | Maximal Inspiratory and Expiratory Muscle Strength will be measured according to international guidelines (ATS/ERS) with a MicroRPM. |
| Physical Activity Levels | 1 week post-intervention | Accelerometry-assessment of physical activity will be measured in terms of steps per day and minutes spent in light, moderate and vigorous physical activity |
| Body Mass Index | 1 week post-intervention | Body weight and height will be combined to report the results on body mass index (kg/m2) |
Countries
Spain
Outcome results
None listed