Effect of Chair Stand Exercise on Activity of Daily Living: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Hemodialysis Patients

Objective Muscle atrophy and weakness impair activity of daily living (ADL). We examined whether chair stand exercise can improve ADL of hemodialysis patients. Design A randomized controlled trial. Setting and Participants A single center study. Subjects Outpatients on hemodialysis older than 60 years (61-79 years). Intervention Twelve weeks of intervention with chair stand exercise, 3 sessions/week versus the control exercise (stretch, 1 session/week). Main Outcome Measure The primary outcome was the change in functional independence measure (FIM) score from baseline. The secondary outcomes were changes in thigh circumference, muscle strength of quadriceps, 6-minute walking distance, maximum duration of chair stand exercise, health-related quality of life, cognitive function serum albumin, and hemoglobin. Results Among the 27 patients who were randomized, 17 completed the study. The change in FIM from baseline was greater in the intervention group (1 [1-3] vs. 0 [0-0], median (minimum to maximum), P