Exercise therapy is effective for patients with knee osteoarthritis , sub-acute ( 6 to 12 weeks ) and chronic ( > or = 12 weeks ) low back pain , cystic fibrosis , chronic obstructive pulmonary disease , and intermittent claudication .
Furthermore , there are indications that exercise therapy  is effective for patients with ankylosing spondylitis , hip osteoarthritis , Parkinson 's disease , and for patients who have suffered a stroke .
There is insufficient evidence to support or refute the effectiveness of exercise therapy  for patients with neck pain , shoulder pain , repetitive strain injury , rheumatoid arthritis , asthma , and bronchiectasis .
Exercise therapy is not effective for  patients with acute low back pain .
It is concluded that exercise therapy is effective for a wide range of chronic disorders
The purpose of this project was to summarise the available evidence on the effectiveness of exercise therapy  for patients with disorders of the musculoskeletal , nervous , respiratory , and cardiovascular systems .
Is percutaneous transluminal angioplasty better than exercise for claudication? Preliminary results from a prospective randomised trial.
Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty ( PTA ) is a commonly performed procedure for the treatment of  intermittent claudication  despite the lack of controlled studies . The aim of this study was to compare PTA with supervised exercise therapy for patients with arterial occlusive disease judged suitable for PTA at angiography . Patients were assessed before treatment commenced and at three monthly intervals afterwards . Assessment included measurement of resting ankle brachial pressure indices ( ABPI ) , and claudicating and maximum walking distances on a treadmill up a 10 degrees incline .  Twenty patients were r and omised to receive PTA and 16 exercise .  The groups were similar in age , sex , smoking habits and arteriographic pattern of disease . In the PTA group two patients had angioplasties that were technically unsuccessful and two other patients subsequently required surgery . One patient in the exercise group subsequently had a PTA . After PTA , mean ABPI were significantly improved at 3 , 6 and 9 months ( P less than 0.01 ) without a corresponding significant increase in mean maximum walking distances . However in the exercise group despite no increase in mean ABPI , mean maximum walking distances increased progressively , with significant increases at 6 , 9 and 12 months ( P less than 0.01 )
Exercise therapy is effective for patients with knee osteoarthritis , sub-acute ( 6 to 12 weeks ) and chronic ( > or = 12 weeks ) low back pain , cystic fibrosis , chronic obstructive pulmonary disease , and intermittent claudication .
Furthermore , there are indications that exercise therapy  is effective for patients with ankylosing spondylitis , hip osteoarthritis , Parkinson 's disease , and for patients who have suffered a stroke .
There is insufficient evidence to support or refute the effectiveness of exercise therapy  for patients with neck pain , shoulder pain , repetitive strain injury , rheumatoid arthritis , asthma , and bronchiectasis .
Exercise therapy is not effective for  patients with acute low back pain .
It is concluded that exercise therapy is effective for a wide range of chronic disorders
The purpose of this project was to summarise the available evidence on the effectiveness of exercise therapy  for patients with disorders of the musculoskeletal , nervous , respiratory , and cardiovascular systems .