Table 1. Baseline characteristics of participants.
| ET (N = 22) |
UC (N = 22) |
|
|---|---|---|
| Demographic data | ||
| Age (yr), mean (SD) | 56.7 (8.9) | 60.1 (7.4) |
| Gender, n female (%) | 13 (59%) | 11 (50%) |
| Body mass index (kg/m2), mean (SD) | 25.6 (4.3) | 26.5 (3.4) |
| Polio characteristics | ||
| Age at acute polio (yr), median (range) | 2 (0–16) | 3 (1–40) |
| Time since new symptoms (yr), mean (SD) | 14.6 (9.5) | 13.2 (7.7) |
| Present walking distance, n(%)a Around the house Seldom further than 1 km Regularly further than 1 km |
6 (27%) 11 (50%) 5 (23%) |
9 (41%) 8 (36%) 5 (23%) |
| Manual muscle testing sum score legs (0 to 80), median (range)b | 69.6 (43.0–80.0) | 67.8 (41.8–80.0) |
| Manual muscle testing sum score arms (0 to 80), median (range)c | 50.0 (16.8–50.0) | 50.0 (32.0–50.0) |
Abbreviations: ET, exercise therapy; UC, usual care.
a Walking distance was classified into 3 categories: around the house, seldom further than 1 km, and regularly further than 1 km.
b Sum score for muscle strength of the legs was calculated by adding 16 muscle groups. Each muscle group had a score between 0 and 5, sum score ranged from 0 to 80 [19].
c Sum score for muscle strength of the arms was calculated by adding 10 muscle groups. Each muscle group had a score between 0 and 5, sum score ranged from 0 to 50 [19].