Changes in Borg scale for resistance training and test of exercise tolerance in patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

• Published in: Supportive care in cancer Vol. 26; no. 9; pp. 3217 - 3223
• Main Authors: Morishita, Shinichiro, Wakasugi, Tatsushi, Tanaka, Takashi, Harada, Tetsuya, Kaida, Katsuji, Ikegame, Kazuhiro, Ogawa, Hiroyasu, Domen, Kazuhisa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-09-2018; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Cancer; Exercise; Exercise Therapy - methods; Exercise Tolerance - physiology; Female; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation - methods; Humans; Knee; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Nursing; Nursing Research; Oncology; Original Article; Pain Medicine; Physical therapy; Prospective Studies; Rehabilitation; Rehabilitation Medicine; Resistance Training - methods; Stem cell transplantation; Stem cells; Strength training; Transplantation Conditioning - methods; Transplantation, Homologous - methods; Young Adult; Exercise tolerance; Rehabilitation; Borg scale; Resistance training; Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation; Cancer
• ISSN: 0941-4355; 1433-7339
• DOI: 10.1007/s00520-018-4168-3

Purpose
We aimed to investigate the relationship between Borg scale and intensity of resistance training in patients who had undergone allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Furthermore, the relationship between Borg scale, heart rate (HR), and intensity of exercise tolerance test was also studied.
Methods
The study included 28 patients (19 men and 9 women) who had undergone allo-HSCT between June 2015 and February 2017. Their knee extension strengths and exercise tolerances were evaluated. Patients were asked to grade between 0 and 10 on Borg scale based on the level of difficulty experienced during exercising, after 10 repetitions in randomized 20, 40, and 60% resistance training for knee extension. Additionally, we evaluated Borg scale, HR, and load intensity during exercise tolerance test, every minute of the exercise for 2 weeks before and 3 weeks after HSCT.
Results
Knee extension strength and exercise tolerance were significantly decreased 3 weeks after HSCT from those before HSCT (
p
 < 0.01). Additionally, rise in Borg scale with increase in load intensity during knee extension resistance training, both before and after HSCT (
p
 < 0.01), was noted. Furthermore, Borg scale was found to be associated with HR and load intensity during exercise tolerance test in patients both before and after HSCT (
p
 < 0.01).
Conclusions
A correlation was found between Borg scale with intensity of resistance training and exercise tolerance in patients who had undergone allo-HSCT. Therefore, Borg scale could be useful to determine the intensity of physical exercise in patients who have undergone allo-HSCT.