Physical Activity for the Chronically Ill and Disabled

Abstract

Exercise prescription principles for persons without chronic disease and/or disability are based on well developed scientific information. While there are varied objectives for being physically active, including enhancing physical fitness, promoting health by reducing the risk for chronic disease and ensuring safety during exercise participation, the essence of the exercise prescription is based on individual interests, health needs and clinical status, and therefore the aforementioned goals do not always carry equal weight. In the same manner, the principles of exercise prescription for persons with chronic disease and/or disability should place more emphasis on the patient's clinical status and, as a result, the exercise mode, intensity, frequency and duration are usually modified according to their clinical condition. Presently, these exercise prescription principles have been scientifically defined for clients with coronary heart disease. However, other diseases and/or disabilities have been studied less (e.g. renal failure, cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, cerebral palsy). This article reviews these issues with specific reference to persons with chronic diseases and disabilities.

Fatigue in persons with subacute spinal cord injury who are dependent on a manual wheelchair

“…Those authors proposed that person with incomplete lesions attempt to complete more activities and rely less on assistive devices or care attendants; therefore, their total daily energy expenditure and the physiological energy cost of specific activities would be larger. 6 In this study, we did not find any relationship between fatigue and total duration of physical activity or activity intensity (motility). Physical activity duration was similar between subgroups based on SCI completeness (1.2 h (s.d.…”

“…12 However, we found no relationship between fatigue and physical behavior in our study. Therefore, we could not confirm the fatigue, physical fitness and physical behavior cycle hypothesis proposed by Durstine et al 6 However, our physical behavior measurement was limited to outcomes on postures, wheeled physical activity and mean motility of trunk and arms. We did not specifically assess the amount and type of therapy of the participants.…”

“…Furthermore, fatigue has been suggested to be related to low daily physical activity and physical fitness levels within a cycle of deconditioning. 6 Because both daily physical activity and physical fitness levels are known to be low in persons with SCI, 7,8 these factors may influence fatigue development. Besides physical activity, amount of sedentary day time is another independent aspect of physical behavior 9 that might impact fatigue.…”

Determinants of sleep quality in women with systemic lupus erythematosus

“…Following the recommendations of Tabachnick and Fidell (27) for handling continuous variables with univariate outliers, the data were grouped on a scale of 1 to 3 (1 ϭ 0 -2.99 MET-hours/week; 2 ϭ 3-5.99 MET-hours/week; 3 ϭ Ն6 MET-hours/week). Six or more MET hours per week are equivalent to Ͼ30 minutes of moderate-intensity leisure time physical activity 3 times per week, which is considered being physically active for persons with chronic illnesses (28,29).…”

Promoting the Participation of Children With Disabilities in Sports, Recreation, and Physical Activities

“…Regular physical activity is essential for the maintenance of normal muscle strength, flexibility, and joint structure and function and may slow the functional decline often associated with disabling conditions. 8 Children with cerebral palsy (CP) are significantly weaker than age-matched controls, and strengthening and weight-bearing programs are recommended. 9 Moreover, female adolescents with CP have a lower self-concept than their counterparts without disability in the domains of physical appearance, social acceptance, athletic competence, and scholastic competence.…”