STRENGTH TRAINING FOR POLYMYOSlTIS PATIENT

Abstract

INTRODUCTlON-This paper is presented for the demonstration of people suffering from polymyositis upon rehabilitation can regain muscular strength and quality of life. This disease usually attacks people reaching the age of 50 years and above with malignancy or as an idiopathic process in its own rights. This is a diffuse inflammatory disease involving asymmetrical wasting of muscular tissue leading to loss of power. In Malaysia, a top soccer player died few years ago because of a disease of this nature. This group of disorder is heterogeneous and rare, its incidence is probably 3 per million population per year in the United Kingdom. METHODS- This experiment looks into the aspect of a strength training program to prevent disuse atrophy and contracture of muscle caused by the nature of this disease. Because of its rarity, only ONE female subject of 57 years of age diagnosed by her physician to be suffering from polymyositis has agreed to go through this strength training program based on the concept of conscious state of contraction. Subject before the strength training program was under prescription of 2 prednisone (steroids) tablets per day. Subject is unable to sit up or perform any personal mobilisation on her own without assistance. This program involves mobilisation of the joints and the subject must be taught to be conscious about the movement as in Imagined Training'(Enoka, 1994). The subject must know that at will the command from the brain centre, will innervate the muscle fibres which leads to the contraction of that specific muscle or joint that will initiate motion. CONCLUSION-The difficulties in this experiment is the ability to concentrate on the contraction of each muscle group because every contraction and relaxation of a muscle are actions series done quite subconsciously. The expression of voluntary strength & power may be likened to a skilled art of which the changes in nervous system that enhance strength is referred as neural adaptation (Sale, 1986). Because of the muscular atrophy, it is rather impossible for the subject to perform compound movement like squatting, presses, etc.. Exercises on the initial phase were joints mobilisation and on the 2nd. month, close kinetic movement like knee extensions were selected. During the 3rd. month, performance of personal movement were profound. This concept of training is highly targeted to the neural system which can help the subject in the mind and muscle connection and the ability to innervate the muscle fibres accordingly. This innervation in return develops a stronger and hypertrophied muscle. REFERENCES- Enoka, R. (1 994). Neurornechanical basis of kinesiology, 2nd. ed. Sale, D.G. (1986). Neural Adaptation in strength and power training. Human Muscle Power, pg. 289.