A new article published in Acta Myologica discussed that various molecular mechanisms are responsible for muscle diseases – by distinct cellular pathways, of muscle fibers contraction insufficiency and exercise intolerance. Therefore, exercise therapy is a promising avenue to efficaciously counteract the loss of muscle fiber function or the secondary effects due to sedentary lifestyle as a consequence of the motor impairment. The authors reported that several recent reports suggest that supervised aerobic exercise training is safe and may be considered effective in improving oxidative capacity and muscle function in patients with various muscle disorders, including muscular dystrophies and metabolic myopathies—providing that it can be personalized and sized over the single patient capability. Hence, advancement in outcomes measure recording and exercise delivery monitoring with comfortable investigation methods to assess muscle function and structure can be useful to detect the beneficial effects of a supervised motor training. The article suggested that especially considering the emerging new therapies in the field of neuromuscular disorders, exercise training can be included as part of the rehabilitation program for patients with a muscle disease. In fact, it should be strictly supervised for its effects and to prevent involuntary muscle damage.

Source: Acta Myologica. 2019 Dec 1;38(4):233-238. eCollection 2019 Dec.