Clinical Trial of Exercise in Patients With Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)

This study is being conducted to test whether exercise can be effectively used as an intervention to treat Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). In order to answer this question, the investigators will enroll 14 subjects with SMA between ages 8 and 50 and ask them to complete an 18 month training schedule. At some points subjects will be asked to closely follow a specific training regimen and at other points they may be asked to exercise in the same manner they do normally. The exercises they will be asked to perform include biking on a stationary cycle and lifting hand weights. Subjects will be asked to come in to the clinic seven times over the course of the study to perform tests. These tests include motor function measures, a physical exam, questionnaires, a exercise capacity test which involves riding a stationary bicycle, and test where the subject is asked to walk as far as they can in six minutes. The main goal of the study is to see if the subjects who participate in the exercise protocol have larger increases in the distance they can walk in six minutes than those who do not.