BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The effects of a home exercise program for persons with chronic peripheral neuropathies (CPN) have not been documented. We compared changes in impairment and health-related quality of life (HRQL) between exercise and control groups, investigated the relationship between HRQL and measures of impairment, and contrasted the HRQL of individuals with CPN to that previously described for the general population. SUBJECTS: Twenty-eight subjects with CPN, aged 23 to 84 years (mean 56.2, SD 14.9), completed the study. METHODS: Impairment measures included average muscle score (AMS), handgrip force, walking time, and forced vital capacity. The HRQL instrument measured the eight scales of the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) and the component scales. The exercise group (n = 14) completed a 6-week home exercise program. The control group (n = 14) did not participate in a home exercise program. RESULTS: There was an increase in the AMS in the exercise group compared with the control group. No other between-group differences were found. The exercise group improved in scores on the role limitation scales of the SF-36. The AMS and walking time were moderately correlated with the physical function scale of the SF-36 (r = 0.55 and -0.62, respectively). The SF-36 scores of individuals with CPN were lower than scores previously described for the general population. CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION: The home exercise program appears to be an important component of the treatment of persons with CPN. Compared with the general population, patients with CPN appear to have a lower HRQL, but some areas appear to improve following a home exercise program.

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