Abstract
The question posed was whether individually adapted, controlled dynamic weight training, in accordance with training principles and methods from sports science, applied for a limited time, can lead to an improvement in the stimulation and release of muscular strength in patients with neuromuscular disorders. The muscles of the pelvic girdle and the lower extremity of 10 patients (5 with dystrophic muscle disease and 5 with neurogenic muscular atrophy) were exercised provisionally for a period of 6 weeks on various weight training machines. The training routine was 3 sessions (TS) per week at an intensity range of 40-60% of the respective best performance for the exercise (One Repetition Maximum; ORM), at 8-12 repetitions/set and 2-4 sets/exercise. Body weight and ORM were determined before, during and after the training period (TP), the different load criteria/TS were documented. It was possible to train the patients in accordance with principles of training known from sports science. Over the entire TP it was possible to increase the load criteria significantly (p < 0.01). The ORM had increased considerably in all exercises after the TP (p < 0.01). The changes in strength lay between 11 and 95%. Correlation analyses demonstrated that the percentage changes in strength correlated significantly (p < 0.01) and positively (r = 0.87) with the training load in terms of quality. No significant changes in development of strength could be ascertained between the two groups of patients (dystrophic versus atrophic). The individually adjusted, controlled dynamic weight training described above, leads to an increase in the stimulation and release of strength and can be conducted according to principles of training science. Applied in clinical rehabilitation, it represents a supplementary form of therapy in the symptomatic treatment of neuromuscular disorders.