Strength training for multiple long-term conditions

 Maintaining muscle strength is essential as we age, supporting mobility, independence and quality of life. However, increasing numbers of adults live with multiple long-term conditions (MLTC), placing them at greater risk of low muscle strength and reduced physical function. Although resistance exercise, also known as strength training, is widely recognised as the most effective way to improve muscle strength and function, uncertainty remains about how best to design and deliver evidence-based exercise programmes that meet the needs of people living with MLTC.

 In our new scoping review, Resistance Exercise Training for Skeletal Muscle Health in Adults Living With Multiple Long-Term Conditions, published in JCSM Communications, we explored what is currently known about strength training for people living with MLTC and identified important gaps in the existing evidence base.  This was a team effort, led by Dr Christopher Hurst, and involving our collaborator from UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Dr Jonas Johansson.

 Despite identifying 68 eligible papers, reporting on 66 unique studies, we found that relatively little research has specifically evaluated strength training in people living with MLTC. Many of the studies included in our review focused on groups of people living with specific long-term conditions.  In addition, many examined multiple different types of exercise programme, making it difficult to determine which specific programmes work best and how they can be implemented in real-world healthcare and community settings.

 The findings are however encouraging. The available evidence suggests that resistance exercise is both feasible and safe for many people living with MLTC and can lead to improvements in muscle strength and physical function. As the number of people living with MLTC continues to grow, building a stronger evidence base will be crucial for developing effective exercise interventions that maintain muscle health in adults living with MLTC.

Read the full paper here: https://doi.org/10.1002/rco2.70045