Can Progressive Resistive Exercise Improve Weight, Limb Girth, and Strength of Individuals With HIV Disease?

This study highlights the findings and application of Cochrane reviews and other evidence relevant to the practice of physical therapy. The Cochrane Library is a respected source of reliable evidence that deals with health care. Cochrane systematic reviews explore the evidence for and against the effectiveness and appropriateness of interventions—medications, surgery, education, nutrition, exercise—and the evidence for and against the use of diagnostic tests for specific conditions. Cochrane reviews are designed to facilitate the decisions of clinicians, patients, and others in health care by providing a careful review and interpretation of research studies published in the scientific literature. Each article in this PTJ series summarizes a Cochrane review or other scientific evidence on a single topic and presents clinical scenarios based on real patients or programs to show how the results of the review may be employed to directly inform clinical decisions. This article is focused on an adult patient with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease. Is it possible for a physical therapist guided progressive resistive exercise (PRE) program to improve body weight, body composition, and strength in a person with HIV disease?