Aerobic anti-gravity exercise in patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease types 1A and X: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND

Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease is a hereditary neuropathy associated with impaired walking capacity. Some patients are too weak in the lower extremity muscles to walk at gravity with sufficient intensity or duration to gain benefit.

AIM

The aim was to investigate the effect of aerobic anti-gravity exercise in weak patients with CMT 1A and X.

METHODS

Five adult patients performed moderate-intensity aerobic anti-gravity exercise 3/week for 10 weeks.

RESULTS

There was a significant positive difference in Berg balance scale and postural stability test between test occasions, and walking distance in the 6-min walk test trended to increase.

CONCLUSIONS

The study indicates that the anti-gravity treadmill training of patients with CMT should be pursued in larger CMT cohorts.