Intra-Dialytic Resistance Exercise for Hemodialysis Patients in Improving Physiological Measurements and Quality of Life: A Pilot Study

Bokai Chen

Department of Exercise and Fitness, The National Kidney Foundation, Singapore

Bokai Chen, Department of Exercise and Fitness, The National Kidney Foundation, Singapore.

Keywords: Intra-Dialytic Exercise; Hemodialysis; Chronic Kidney Disease; Glomerular Filtration Rate; Quality of Life; Physical Rehabilitation

Abstract

Hemodialysis (HD) patients generally have reduced functional capacity which leads to low level of physical activity. Exercise training in patients with end stage renal disease for a prolonged period of time has been shown to improve physical functioning and dialysis efficiency. While there are many literatures on aerobic exercises for HD patients reporting improved dialysis outcome and physical performance, resistance exercises have not been as extensively studied. Among the limited research on weight training during dialysis, it was found to improve functional performance and increase muscular strength. The present pilot study evaluates the feasibility of a relatively simple intradialytic resistance exercise intervention in improving HD patients’ physiological measurements and quality of life.

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. (CC BY 4.0).