title: Feasibility of foot and ankle strength training in childhood Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.
abstract: Weakness of ankle dorsiflexion is the cardinal manifestation of CMT. We investigated if a 12-week progressive resistance dorsiflexion strengthening program was feasible, safe and beneficial in a 15-year-old girl with an axonal form of CMT. Training load was based on a dose-escalating percentage of one-repetition maximum, completed on three non-consecutive days each week. Outcomes included dynamometric foot strength, motor function and instrumented walking ability. At 12-weeks, dorsiflexion strength improved 56-72% and plantarflexion strength by 15-20%. Standing long jump increased by 16%, while balance and endurance did not. Walking ability improved for speed, cadence, step time and stride length. Compliance was high and there were no adverse events. This case suggests progressive strength training might be a feasible intervention to help foot weakness and disability in childhood CMT.
authors.affiliation: Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney/Institute for Neuroscience and Muscle Research, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Joshuab2@chw.edu.au
authors.forename: Joshua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Burns
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Raymond
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ouvrier
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000842:Ankle; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002607:Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005528:Foot; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D009043:Motor Activity; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010807:Physical Endurance; D004856:Postural Balance; D055070:Resistance Training / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D016138:Walking