Table 3.
A representation of exercise interventions done in FSHD. Number in parenthesis represents the article reference.
| Exercise mode/N | Duration | Frequency | Intensity | Improved outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cycling N = 8 Control group N = 7 (17) |
12 weeks | 5 days/week 35 min/session |
65% VO2max | VO2max, workload, and ADL |
| Cycling + post exercise protein-carbohydrate supplement N = 18 Cycling + placebo supplement N = 13 Control group N = 10 (18) |
12 weeks 12 months F/U |
3 days/week 15 min/session week 1 20 min/session week 2 30 min/session from week 3 |
70% VO2max | 6MWT, workload, fitness, and SF-36 |
| Cycling N = 20 Cognitive-behavioral therapy N = 13 Usual care N = 24 (19) |
16 weeks | 3 days/week (2 days at home and 1 day supervised) 38 min/session, including a 5 min warm up 30 min exercise 3 min cool down Cognitive-behavioral therapy comprised of 6 modules: Dysfunctional cognitions regarding fatigue, activity, pain, or other symptoms; fatigue catastrophizing (a cognitive process that involves negative outcome expectations from fatigue); dysregulation of sleep or activity; poor social support; and negative social interactions. Both aerobic exercise therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy were found to be superior to usual care in reducing fatigue |
50-65% HRmax 12-14 RPE (Borg Scale) |
Fatigue |
| Cycling N = 8 Control group N = 8 (20) |
24 weeks | 3 days/week 35 min/session |
2 sessions at 60% max aerobic power 1 session interval training 40% and 80% max aerobic power |
VO2max, 6MWT, and fatigue severity scale |
| Strength N = 34 Control N = 31 (21) |
52 weeks | 3 days/week | 10 RM, 2 sets x 5-10 reps Dynamic and isometric strength: Elbow flexion and ankle dorsal flexion |
1RM, and dynamic elbow flexor strength |
| HIT: Cycling N = 6 UC N = 7 Control group N = 7 (22) |
8 weeks supervised 8 weeks with unsupervised for all. |
21 min/session, including an 8-min warm-up and two sets of 5-min HIT with 3-min break at very low intensity. 3 days/week |
Each minute of HIT was performed at three different work intensities: 30 s of easy pedaling (low intensity), 20 s of hard work (middle high intensity), and 10 s of all-out, maximal intensity |
VO2max and workload |
| NMES N = 9 (23) |
5 months | 5 days/week 20 min/session |
Rise time 1.5s; steady tetanic stimulation time: 6s; fall time 1.5s |
Pain, fatigue, shoulder flexion strength, knee extension strength, and 6MWT |