OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of endurance exercise on motor function and metabolism-related indicators in elderly patients with maintenance hemodialysis. METHODS: Totally 30 elderly patients with maintenance hemodialysis who met the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into the study group (n = 15) and control group (n = 15). In the control group, the gymnastics exercise in supine position was carried out on dialysis days. In the study group, the gymnastics exercise combined with low-intensity aerobic training was carried out on dialysis days, and individualized exercise training was performed on non-dialysis days. The 6-Minute Walking Test (6MWT), Berg Balance Scale and hand grip strength measuring were used to assess the patients' motor function. The primarily metabolism-related indicators were HGB, ABL, iPTH, Ca and PI. RESULTS: The 6MWT distance in the study group was higher than that in the control group after 42 weeks of dialysis (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the score of Berg Balance Scale and value of hand grip strength between two groups after 42 weeks of dialysis (p > 0.05). There was no significant difference in serum level of HGB, ALB, iPTH, Ca and PI between two groups after 42 weeks of dialysis (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Endurance exercise is safe and effective to improve the recovery of motor function and quality of life in the elderly patients with maintenance hemodialysis. More large-scale and high-quality studies should be done on to confirm the association between improved metabolism-related indicators and endurance exercise.

Full text (sometimes free) may be available at these link(s):      help

• DOI
• PDF locator
• publisher