Carpal tunnel syndrome is associated with greater body mass index and less physical activity. To determine the effect of aerobic exercise on median nerve conduction and symptoms suggestive of carpal tunnel syndrome, 30 symptomatic volunteers (30 to 64 years old) with abnormal median nerve conduction studies participated in a 10-month program of supervised aerobic exercise. Changes in percentage of body fat, body mass index, peak oxygen consumption, 14-cm median sensory latency, and hand/wrist symptoms were assessed. A decrease in 14-cm sensory median latency correlated with a decrease in percentage of body fat (R = 0.52, P = 0.004) and was predicted by an increase in peak oxygen utilization (partial R = 0.52, P = 0.005) and a decrease in body mass index (partial R = 0.47, P = 0.014). There was also a tendency for a set of symptoms sometimes associated with carpal tunnel syndrome (pain, tightness, and clumsiness) to be relieved by the exercise program. These results suggest that an aerobic exercise program can be beneficial to median nerve function and may be associated with a reduction in hand symptoms.

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Running velocity at VO 2 max (vVO2max) is predictive of distance running performance in females for distances of 1500 to 10,000m, but has yet to be investigated in prolonged events such as the marathon. This study investigated the relationship between marathon run time, VO 2 max, vVO 2 max, and running economy (RE) in 19 recreational female runners (xage = 33.56 ± 7.53 yrs; xwt = 58.46 ± 6.94 kg; xht = 165.63 ± 6.30 cm) who were training for a local marathon. Subjects completed a test for VO 2 max (x = 52.86 ± 6.12 ml.min -1. kg -1 ) and a second treadmill test for RE at 4 different speeds. Submaximal speeds were individualized based on self reported training pace. Mean marathon run time was 241.5 ± 33.3 minutes. VO 2 max was the best performance predictor (r = -0.74, p 0.01) and explained 56% of the variance of run time. The relationship between vVO 2 max and run time was also significant, but the relationship was not as strong as for VO 2 max (r = -0.64, p 0.01). The relationship between performance time and weekly training mileage was also significant (r = -0.63, p 0.01). Regression of V0 2 max, vV0 2 max, and weekly training mileage revealed a multiple R of .87 (R 2 = 0.75, p ^ 0.01). Even though it was still a significant contributor, this study failed to support vVO 2 max as the best predictor of performance in recreational female runners. However, these data reinforce the notion that physiological variables such as VO 2 max (or vVO 2 max) combined with external factors (weekly training) are important factors in marathon performance.

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