Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of non-instrumental resistance training on exercise capacity of patients with chronic heart disease. Methods: Nineteen elderly male patients (66.2±5.7 years) participated in the study. All had experienced coronary artery bypass surgery, coronary artery intervention, or aortic valve replacement [left ventricular ejection fraction (EF): 54.0±15.8 %]. Patients were divided into two groups. T group (N=9) performed combined aerobic and non-instrumental resistance training; and C group (N=10) performed only aerobic exercise. Resistance training involved 10 to 15 repetitions (maximum)(RM) of squats, push ups, calf raises and trunk curls. Each exercise included 3 sets of 10 repetitions repeated 3 times a week. Aerobic exercise was prescribed at the intensity of the aerobic threshold (AT) level 3 times a week. There was no significant base line for either T group or C group. Results: After three months of exercise, peak torque, peak VO₂, and peak watts were significantly greater in T group, compared to those of C group. However, there was no significant correlation (r = .49) between the improvement of peak VO₂ and peak torque. Conclusion: It was concluded that combined aerobic and non-instrumental resistance training is more effective than aerobic exercise alone for exercise capacity of patients with chronic heart disease. Home-based non-instrumental resistance training is usually highly significant from the perspective of the exercise capacity of patients with chronic heart disease.

Crow-Fukase syndrome is diagnosed by the presence of polyneuropathy in conjunction with several other characteristic generalized symptoms, including organomegaly, endocrinopathy, M protein, and skin changes (POEMS syndrome). Rehabilitation is very important for patients with Crow-Fukase syndrome because progressive polyneuropathy reduces a patient's muscle strength. We report a case of long-term rehabilitation after high-dose chemotherapy with autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. After transplantation, neurologic improvement began, and following rehabilitation therapy, the patient's proximal lower extremity muscle strength recovered to an almost normal level. At 2 months after transplantation, the patient could walk again using a cane and an ankle-foot orthosis. At six and a half years after transplantation, the neuropathy was still improving and there was no recurrence of other symptoms. We suggest that rehabilitation combined with autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation for Crow-Fukase syndrome is very useful for improving the disuse condition and for recovering muscle strength.