Effekte von körperlicher Aktivität bei Personen mit neurologischen Erkrankungen − Eine systematische Übersichtsarbeit

Backround: Neurological disorders are a global burden often leading to psychosocial and physical limitations. Right now, there are still no therapeutic cures for many neurological disorders and current pharmacotherapeutic treatments often come with side effects. Thus, alternative treatments are necessary whereby the knowledge of the effectiveness of exercise as a therapeutic option is increasing constantly. The objective of this overview is to summarize the evidence of various systematic reviews (SRs) assessing the effectiveness of exercise for persons with ALS, MS, Parkinson’s disease (PD), Polyneuropathy (PNP), and Stroke.
Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted using the electronic databases PubMed, SportDiscus and Cochrane Library until July 2020. In addition, reference lists of relevant publications were investigated. The systematic reviews were selected based on predefined inclusion criteria according to the PICO approach. Finally, the methodological quality of included SRs was appraised using the AMSTAR tool.
Results: Overall 27 SRs were included in the overview. According to the AMSTAR tool, 11 SRs were rated with a high methodological quality and 16 SRs were rated with a medium methodological quality. There were a wide range of exercise interventions examined. The current data suggests that exercise is supportive in improving motor functions. However, the effects on quality of life, disease symptoms or course of disease remained controversial.
Conclusion: There is a lack of high-quality evidence due to heterogeneity and limitations of included SRs for exercise to be considered as a treatment option in people with ALS, MS, PD, PNP, and Stroke. There is a need for further research including clinical trials, detailed population characteristics and precise intervention modalities to make clinical recommendations.