Background
Problem-oriented Exercise Management
Aerobic Exercise Tests
Summarization

In general, our society has a bias toward curative rather than palliative medicine, toward making the disease go away rather than finding ways to cope with disease. An unfortunate consequence of this perspective is that for persons with chronic disease or disability, we devalue the palliative benefits of preserving functionality and well-being. Recent improvements in societal awareness of persons with disabilities, of the elderly, and of persons with terminal or end-stage disease have brought attention to medical issues surrounding individual rights of autonomy and self-determination. Since the 1960's, exercise has been promoted as a method of extending life, largely through prevention and moderation of cardiovascular disease. But in the 1980s, research and clinical applications for exercise expanded to populations with a variety of chronic diseases and disabilities, for whom exercise is perhaps more fundamentally related to quality of life than to quantity of life. Perhaps the greatest potential benefit of exercise is its ability to preserve functional capacity, freedom and independence.