Trial of Resistance and Endurance Exercise in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

Summary

The first questions asked by patients with a new diagnosis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) often include: "Does exercise help slow the progression of the disease?", "Is there any harm in exercising?", or "What type of exercise (endurance or resistance) is most appropriate?" At this time, however, there is a lack of answers for people who suffer from an illness that affects their strength above all else. Yet the beneficial effects of exercise in both healthy people as well as people with other diseases have been extensively studied and resulted in recommendations about the types of exercise that are beneficial. In this study the investigators will ask participants with ALS to exercise in one of three ways: weightlifting (resistance exercise), stationary bicycling (endurance exercise), and range of motion exercise (the current "standard of care" for ALS patients). The investigators will use several different types of tests to determine whether one type of exercise is tolerated better and is safer than another. The investigators will also collect information about how the body responds to exercise in ALS. This study will help in the development of a larger national study to understand how exercise can be combined with other treatments to potentially improve strength and alter the course of the disease.

Conditions

• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Interventions

OTHER

Resistance Exercise

Resistance will be administered using a series of adjustable cuff weights for the upper limbs and hip flexion. Knee flexion and extension will be administered with a weight bench using a leg exercise attachment and free weights.

OTHER

Endurance Exercise

Endurance will be administered using a minicycle. It can be used from a sitting position (chair or wheelchair) for lower limb exercise and then placed on a tabletop for upper limb use.

OTHER

Stretching/Range-of-Motion

Stretching and range of motion exercise is widely accepted as a "standard of care" for ALS management.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• ALS Association

  collaborator OTHER

• Johns Hopkins University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Nicholas M Maragakis, MD · Johns Hopkins University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

80 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2012-01-31

Primary Completion

2016-02-29

Completion

2016-02-29

Countries

• United States

Study Locations