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Randomised controlled trial of graded exercise in chronic fatigue syndrome
Author(s) -
Wallman Karen E,
Morton Alan R,
Goodman Carmel,
Grove Robert,
Guilfoyle Andrew M
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2004.tb06019.x
Subject(s) - stroop effect , medicine , physical therapy , chronic fatigue syndrome , rating of perceived exertion , placebo , psychological intervention , randomized controlled trial , flexibility (engineering) , blood pressure , physical exercise , depression (economics) , relaxation (psychology) , cognition , physical medicine and rehabilitation , heart rate , psychiatry , statistics , alternative medicine , mathematics , pathology , economics , macroeconomics
Objective: To investigate whether 12 weeks of graded exercise with pacing would improve specific physiological, psychological and cognitive functions in people with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Design: Randomised controlled trial. Setting: Human performance laboratory at the University of Western Australia. Participants: 61 patients aged between 16 and 74 years diagnosed with CFS. Interventions: Either graded exercise with pacing (32 patients) or relaxation/flexibility therapy (29 patients) performed twice a day over 12 weeks. Main outcome measures: Changes in any of the physiological, psychological or cognitive variables assessed. Results: Following the graded exercise intervention, scores were improved for resting systolic blood pressure ( P = 0.018), work capacity (W·kg ‐1 ) ( P = 0.019), net blood lactate production ( P = 0.036), depression ( P = 0.027) and performance on a modified Stroop Colour Word test ( P = 0.029). Rating of perceived exertion scores, associated with an exercise test, was lower after graded exercise ( P = 0.013). No such changes were observed in the relaxation/flexibility condition, which served as an attention‐placebo control. Conclusions: Graded exercise was associated with improvements in physical work capacity, as well as in specific psychological and cognitive variables. Improvements may be associated with the abandonment of avoidance behaviours.