Table 4. Trials included in the review and their observed assessments.

FSHD: Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy; SMA: spinal muscular atrophy; DMD: Duchenne muscular dystrophy; HD: Huntington's disease; RCT: randomized controlled trial

Author	Year	Sample size	Study design	Disorder assessed	Intervention parameters	Statistics observed	Overall inference drawn
Bankolé et al. [18]	2016	16 FSHD patients	RCT	FSHD	6-month home-based exercise (cycling) 3x/week for 35 mins	VO2 peak (+19%, P=0.002) and MAP improved by week 6; muscle endurance, MVC, walking distance increased; muscle CSA and citrate synthase activity increased	Home-based exercise improves fitness and motor function without compromising muscle tissue
Lessard et al. [19]	2021	All males	Pre-post-test design	Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1	10-week semi-supervised home exercise (sit-to-stand, squat, lunges)	Significant improvement in knee flexor strength; all participants improved in at least two measures	Home-based training is beneficial and well-accepted, reducing healthcare burden
Lewelt et al. [20]	2015	Nine SMA children	Feasibility and safety study	SMA Types II and III	12-week supervised home-based progressive resistance training 3x/week	90% adherence; pain-free sessions; trends in improved strength and motor function	Progressive resistance training is feasible, safe, and potentially beneficial in SMA children
Mirea et al. [21]	2022	Fifty five SMA patients (children/adolescents)	Comparative observational study	SMA	Nusinersen therapy with/without daily physical therapy	Motor skill improvements: Study group (12.66%) vs. control group (3.18%), p < 0.001	Regular physical therapy enhances motor outcomes significantly compared to nusinersen alone
Montes et al. [22]	2015	Fourteen SMA patients (10-48 years)	RCT	SMA	6-month individualized home-based cycling and strengthening	Percent-predicted VO2 max improved 4.9% in 6 months, p=0.036; no change in 6MWT, fatigue, or function	Daily exercise is safe, improves VO2 max, and should be encouraged for ambulatory SMA patients
Piira et al. [23]	2013	Thirty-seven HD patients	Prospective intervention study	HD	One-year multidisciplinary rehabilitation program, including physical exercise, social activities, group sessions, and coordinated health care services	Significant improvements in gait (TUG: -1.32s, 10MWT: +0.27 m/s, 6MWT: +68.71m), balance (BBS: +1.0, p<0.03), physical QoL, anxiety and depression (-3.54 points, p<0.001), and BMI (+0.72 units, p<0.024)	Intensive rehabilitation improves gait, balance, physical QoL, and reduces anxiety and depression in HD patients; cognitive function remained stable except for SDMT (declined by 2.87 points, p<0.05)
Ramberg et al. [24]	2023	Sixty nine patients with various MWDs	Quality improvement study	Various MWDs	Two-week intensive individualized physiotherapy	Significant improvement in gait (10MWT, F8WT: 4-5%) and balance (SLS, MSL: 12-16%), p<0.001	Intensive individualized physiotherapy improves gait and balance in MWD patients
Savcun et al. [25]	2019	Eleven FSHD patients	Observational study	FSHD	Scapular taping during shoulder elevation	No significant change in scapular kinematics (p > 0.05) before and after taping on both sides	Kinesio taping does not significantly alter scapular kinematics during shoulder elevation in FSHD patients
Sherief et al. [26]	2021	Thirty DMD boys (6-10 years)	RCT	DMD	Aerobic exercise: bicycle ergometer vs. treadmill	Significant improvement in walking capacity and balance post-treatment (P < 0.05); greater improvement in treadmill group (P < 0.05)	Treadmill training is more effective than bicycle ergometer in improving walking capacity and balance in DMD children