A Cochrane review [Abstract] 1 included 6 studies with a total of 303 subjects, primarily males in their mid thirties who had sustained a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Three of the six studies indirectly assessed change in cardiorespiratory fitness after fitness training using the peak power output obtained during cycle ergometry. Cardiorespiratory fitness was improved after fitness training in one study (mean difference 59 watts, 95% CI 24 to 94), whilst there was no significant improvement in the other two studies.
Comment: The quality of evidence is downgraded by inconsistency (variability in results across studies, heterogeneity in interventions and outcomes), by indirectness (indirect measure of cardiorespiratory fitness) and by imprecise results (limited study size for each comparison).
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