Add-on electrostimulation of no benefit to paediatric cystic fibrosis patients

A resistance exercise-training program is enough to yield gains in muscle strength and functional capacity in paediatric cystic fibrosis (CF) patients with mild-to-moderate pulmonary impairment, a study has found. Meanwhile, the addition of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) does not appear to provide extra benefit.

A total of 27 children with CF (mean age 12.6 years) were randomly allocated to the following intervention groups: control, exercise, or exercise with NMES (EX + NMES). The intervention lasted 8 weeks.

Exercise was an individualized resistance training program that consisted of 60-minute sessions conducted 3 days per week. NMES was applied in the quadriceps and the interscapular region, simultaneously to the exercises. The control group followed the CF team recommendations.

Researchers evaluated all patients at baseline and at the end of the 8-week intervention. They assessed lung function, cardiorespiratory fitness, functional capacity, quality of life, and muscle strength.

Results showed no significant interactions between intervention groups and cardiorespiratory fitness. Meanwhile, children in the exercise groups exhibited improved functional capacity than those in the control group.

With regard to muscle strength, both exercise and EX + NMES groups achieved larger gains in quadriceps (p=0.004), pectoral (p=0.001), dorsal (p=0.009), and handgrip (p=0.028) as compared with the control group.

There were no significant between-group differences noted for quality of life and lung function.