gms | German Medical Science

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess possible adverse effects of 4 weeks of a cardiovascular rehabilitation (CR) program on the musculoskeletal system.

Material/Methods: Nine-hundred-ninety-six patients (204 women, age 65 yrs and 792 men, age 62 yrs) completed a combined resistance-endurance training program consisting of 5±2 resistance training sessions (50% of one repetition maximum, 2-3 sets of 12-15 repetitions each, using 10 different muscle groups) and 15±4 endurance training-sessions [(50-60% of maximal leg power (P_max)] on cycle ergometer lasting 10-18 minutes per training session. Interaction of statin-therapy with the complications of the muscle system during resistance training was evaluated by Pearson’s Chi-square test.

Results: As result of training, 55 patients had adverse effects, 42 were associated with the skeletal, 13 with the muscular-system, and 2 additional adverse effects were associated with injuries that were not directly connected to training sessions. Statins were prescribed to 770 (77%) of 996 patients at entry and 849 (85%) at discharge. Nine (69%) of 13 patients with adverse effects on muscular-system took statins at entry and 11 (85%) at discharge from the CR program. Pearson’s Chi-square test revealed that Statins are not responsible for complications of the muscular-system [Chi-square (1)=.004, p = .949].

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that adverse effects of a combined resistance-endurance exercise program for 4 weeks on the musculoskeletal system are rare and do not limit the performance of cardiac patients engaging in resistance-endurance exercise. These findings are independent of statins.