Effects of an exercise intervention on participation reported by people with disabilities: A mixed methods randomized trial.

Background: Despite a long history of research on the benefits of exercise for people with mobility impairments, little is known about how exercise affects participation in their daily activities.

Objective: This randomized mixed-methods study examined the effects of participating in a structured community-based exercise program on pain, depression, fatigue, exertion and participation in daily activities.

Method: Study participants were recruited from a population-based sample of people who returned a survey (n = 800) and indicated they would be willing to participate in another study. The intervention group was randomly assigned to participate in a physical therapy evaluation and 30 exercise sessions within four months and the control group completed measures only. Ecological momentary assessment and a daily diary was used to evaluate treatment outcomes for the intervention relative to the control group on pain, depression, fatigue, exertion and participation in high exertion activities. We also interviewed a subset of intervention participants to solicit their lived experience from engaging in the exercise intervention.

Results: Exercise intervention participants reported 28% less pain and 19% less fatigue than control participants. They also reported engaging in 11% more bathing and grooming, 22% more household chores, and left their homes 13% more than control participants. These results were mirrored in qualitative interview results.

Conclusions: Participating in an exercise program leads to less pain and fatigue and more participation in activities that require relatively high levels of exertion like bathing and leaving home.