Impact of an 8-Week Lower Limb Resistance Exercise Program on Muscle Health, Function, and Quality of Life in Young People With and Without Hereditary Sensorimotor Polyneuropathy

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying the effects of an 8-week resistance exercise training program on muscle quality, functional capacity, and quality of life in young people aged 15 to 29 years, both with and without Hereditary Sensorimotor Polyneuropathy HSPN, also known as Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. This condition causes muscle weakness, atrophy, sensory loss, and balance problems, which reduce muscle quality and daily function. The trial aims to compare improvements in these areas after the exercise program, especially to see if those with HSPN show greater gains due to their initial impairments. Participants will take part in a supervised lower-limb progressive resistance exercise program three times a week for eight weeks. The program involves exercises like leg press, knee extension, knee flexion, and ankle dorsiflexion with increasing loads from 60% to 80% of their one-repetition maximum strength. Both groupsthose with HSPN and healthy controlswill undergo the same exercise routine and have assessments before and after the intervention to evaluate changes. During the study, participants will complete evaluations including ultrasound scans of muscle structure, tests of muscle strength and functional capacity, body composition measurements, and quality of life questionnaires. Blood samples will be taken to check muscle regeneration markers. Researchers will monitor adherence and assess outcomes such as balance, gait, aerobic capacity, and handgrip strength. The study lasts for the 8-week program plus pre- and post-assessments conducted within days of starting and finishing the exercises.

Effects of Resistance Exercises in Hereditary Sensory-Motor Neuropathy (Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease)