Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 2, 2025
A Murine Model of Hemodialysis Access-Related Hand Dysfunction
Published on: May 31, 2022
A Current State of the Art and Science of Exercise in Dialysis: A Narrative Review
Megan Borkum1,2, Adeera Levin1,2, Joey Ficocelli1
1Division of Nephrology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Purpose Of The Review:
The purpose of the review is to discuss current proven benefits and problems of integrating exercise in the care of people receiving dialysis by reviewing literature from the last few years and identifying important questions that still need to be asked and answered.
Methods:
A focused review and appraisal of the literature were done. Original peer-reviewed articles, review articles, opinion pieces and guidelines were identified from PubMed and Google Scholar databases. Only sources in English were accessed. Search terms "exercise" and "dialysis" were used to find active recruiting randomized trials in various clinical trial registry platforms.
Key Findings:
Numerous studies have demonstrated the benefits of exercise training in individuals receiving dialysis, limited by factors such as short duration of follow-up and inconsistent adverse event reporting and outcomes selected. Notable gaps in exercise research in dialysis include ways to maintain programs and patient motivation, studies in peritoneal dialysis and home hemodialysis patients, and how best to define and measure outcomes of interest.
Implications:
This review summarizes the current state of exercise in people receiving dialysis and serves as a call to action to conduct large, randomized controlled trials to improve the quality of evidence needed to implement and sustain innovative, exercise interventions, and programs for this population.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Dialysis
Acute kidney injury develops suddenly and can be caused by pre-renal causes (e.g., hypovolemia, shock), intrinsic renal causes (e.g., acute tubular necrosis), or post-renal causes (e.g., urinary obstruction). In contrast, chronic renal failure progresses gradually over time and is often...
01:17Exercise and Cardiac Output
Sustained exercise increases the muscles' oxygen demand, which can be...
01:22Heart Failure Drugs: Diuretics
01:20Exercise and Cardiovascular Response
Light to moderate physical activity initiates a series of interconnected responses in the body. The heart rate modestly increases in anticipation of the workout, followed by widespread vasodilation as oxygen consumption by skeletal muscles increases. This results in decreased peripheral resistance, increased capillary blood flow, and accelerated...
01:27Exercise and Muscle Performance
Endurance exercises
Endurance exercises involve running, swimming, or cycling, which require repetitive movements with low force output. When a person engages in endurance exercise, a few noticeable changes occur in their skeletal muscles. For instance, the number of capillaries...
01:15Renal Drug Excretion: Overview
A nephron consists of two primary structures: the renal corpuscle and the renal tubule. The renal corpuscle contains the glomerulus, a network of capillaries where the first step of renal excretion, glomerular filtration, occurs. Blood pressure forces water, ions, and small molecules...