Benefits and harms of exercise therapy in people with multimorbidity: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

Summary & key facts

Researchers looked at many carefully controlled trials to see if exercise programs help people who have two or more long-term health conditions at the same time. They found that exercise seems safe and that it can improve both physical health and social or mental well-being. However, the studies they combined were generally low quality, so the results are promising but not certain. This means exercise could be useful in care plans, but we need better research to be sure how much it helps and for whom.

Key facts:

• The researchers reviewed and combined results from many carefully controlled trials that tested exercise programs in people with two or more long-term health conditions.
• Overall, exercise therapy appeared to be safe for people with multiple conditions, with few reported harms.
• Exercise was linked to improvements in physical health and in psychosocial health, which means things like mood, confidence, or social life.
• The overall quality of the evidence was low. Low quality means the studies had limits, so the findings are uncertain and more high-quality research is needed.
• Because the evidence is uncertain, the review suggests exercise has potential as part of care for people with multiple conditions, but it does not prove exercise is a definite or complete treatment.

Abstract

Exercise therapy appears to be safe and to have a beneficial effect on physical and psychosocial health in people with multimorbidity. Although the evidence supporting this was of low quality, it highlights the potential of exercise therapy in the management and care of this population.

Topics

Cardiac Health and Mental Health Chronic Disease Management Strategies Heart Failure Treatment and Management

Categories

Epidemiology Health Sciences Medicine

Tags

Alternative medicine Exercise therapy Internal medicine Law Medicine MEDLINE Meta-analysis Pathology Physical therapy Political science Randomized controlled trial Systematic review