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Patients with ankylosing spondylitis who participated in a progressive muscle strengthening program gained significant improvements in muscle strength and walking performance after 4 months, compared with those who did not participate, Dr. Fabio Jennings reported at the annual European Congress of Rheumatology.
The exercise program, which involved resistance training with the Swiss ball, was also well tolerated and was not associated with negative effects on disease activity, said Dr. Jennings of the rheumatology division at the Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Dr. Jennings and his colleagues performed a randomized, controlled, single-blind, prospective trial of 60 patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS).
Exercise is recommended for people with AS, but the benefits of a specific exercise program have not been well defined, Dr. Jennings noted.
In the study, 30 patients were randomized to the supervised exercise program, which entailed eight resistance exercises using free weights on a Swiss ball twice a week for 16 weeks, with increases in load every 4 weeks. The 30 patients in the control group continued regular treatment with medications, with no exercise. Demographics, clinical features, and medications were similar in the two groups at baseline.
The impact of the exercise on functional capacity, quality of life, muscle strength, and mobility was evaluated using the BASFI (Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index), HAQ-S (Health Assessment Questionnaire for Spondyloarthropathies), the 6-minute walk test, and other assessment tools, every 4 weeks. Disease activity was measured with the BASDAI (Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C-reactive protein levels.
After 4 months, there were statistically significant differences between the two groups in the strengths of the muscles used in performing the exercises (abdominal, squat, triceps, reverse fly, and rowing exercises), favoring the intervention group. These patients also had significant improvements in the 6-minute walk test; and they were satisfied with the treatment, as reflected by significant differences between the two groups in the Likert scale used to assess patient satisfaction at all time points measured.
In addition, disease activity – as measured by BASDAI, ESR, and C-reactive protein – did not worsen among those who participated in the exercise program.
The study showed that this type of exercise program, using a Swiss ball to improve muscle strength, "is a beneficial and safe intervention" in people with AS, lead author Mr. Marcelo Cardoso de Souza, a physiotherapist and member of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation team at the university, said in an interview. For these patients, improvement in muscular performance and functional capacity is important, he said, noting that before clinicians refer patients to such a program, patients should undergo a medical evaluation, and the program should be provided by an experienced professional.
None of the investigators had relevant financial conflicts of interest.
Patients with ankylosing spondylitis who participated in a progressive muscle strengthening program gained significant improvements in muscle strength and walking performance after 4 months, compared with those who did not participate, Dr. Fabio Jennings reported at the annual European Congress of Rheumatology.
The exercise program, which involved resistance training with the Swiss ball, was also well tolerated and was not associated with negative effects on disease activity, said Dr. Jennings of the rheumatology division at the Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Dr. Jennings and his colleagues performed a randomized, controlled, single-blind, prospective trial of 60 patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS).
Exercise is recommended for people with AS, but the benefits of a specific exercise program have not been well defined, Dr. Jennings noted.
In the study, 30 patients were randomized to the supervised exercise program, which entailed eight resistance exercises using free weights on a Swiss ball twice a week for 16 weeks, with increases in load every 4 weeks. The 30 patients in the control group continued regular treatment with medications, with no exercise. Demographics, clinical features, and medications were similar in the two groups at baseline.
The impact of the exercise on functional capacity, quality of life, muscle strength, and mobility was evaluated using the BASFI (Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index), HAQ-S (Health Assessment Questionnaire for Spondyloarthropathies), the 6-minute walk test, and other assessment tools, every 4 weeks. Disease activity was measured with the BASDAI (Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C-reactive protein levels.
After 4 months, there were statistically significant differences between the two groups in the strengths of the muscles used in performing the exercises (abdominal, squat, triceps, reverse fly, and rowing exercises), favoring the intervention group. These patients also had significant improvements in the 6-minute walk test; and they were satisfied with the treatment, as reflected by significant differences between the two groups in the Likert scale used to assess patient satisfaction at all time points measured.
In addition, disease activity – as measured by BASDAI, ESR, and C-reactive protein – did not worsen among those who participated in the exercise program.
The study showed that this type of exercise program, using a Swiss ball to improve muscle strength, "is a beneficial and safe intervention" in people with AS, lead author Mr. Marcelo Cardoso de Souza, a physiotherapist and member of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation team at the university, said in an interview. For these patients, improvement in muscular performance and functional capacity is important, he said, noting that before clinicians refer patients to such a program, patients should undergo a medical evaluation, and the program should be provided by an experienced professional.
None of the investigators had relevant financial conflicts of interest.
Patients with ankylosing spondylitis who participated in a progressive muscle strengthening program gained significant improvements in muscle strength and walking performance after 4 months, compared with those who did not participate, Dr. Fabio Jennings reported at the annual European Congress of Rheumatology.
The exercise program, which involved resistance training with the Swiss ball, was also well tolerated and was not associated with negative effects on disease activity, said Dr. Jennings of the rheumatology division at the Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Dr. Jennings and his colleagues performed a randomized, controlled, single-blind, prospective trial of 60 patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS).
Exercise is recommended for people with AS, but the benefits of a specific exercise program have not been well defined, Dr. Jennings noted.
In the study, 30 patients were randomized to the supervised exercise program, which entailed eight resistance exercises using free weights on a Swiss ball twice a week for 16 weeks, with increases in load every 4 weeks. The 30 patients in the control group continued regular treatment with medications, with no exercise. Demographics, clinical features, and medications were similar in the two groups at baseline.
The impact of the exercise on functional capacity, quality of life, muscle strength, and mobility was evaluated using the BASFI (Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index), HAQ-S (Health Assessment Questionnaire for Spondyloarthropathies), the 6-minute walk test, and other assessment tools, every 4 weeks. Disease activity was measured with the BASDAI (Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C-reactive protein levels.
After 4 months, there were statistically significant differences between the two groups in the strengths of the muscles used in performing the exercises (abdominal, squat, triceps, reverse fly, and rowing exercises), favoring the intervention group. These patients also had significant improvements in the 6-minute walk test; and they were satisfied with the treatment, as reflected by significant differences between the two groups in the Likert scale used to assess patient satisfaction at all time points measured.
In addition, disease activity – as measured by BASDAI, ESR, and C-reactive protein – did not worsen among those who participated in the exercise program.
The study showed that this type of exercise program, using a Swiss ball to improve muscle strength, "is a beneficial and safe intervention" in people with AS, lead author Mr. Marcelo Cardoso de Souza, a physiotherapist and member of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation team at the university, said in an interview. For these patients, improvement in muscular performance and functional capacity is important, he said, noting that before clinicians refer patients to such a program, patients should undergo a medical evaluation, and the program should be provided by an experienced professional.
None of the investigators had relevant financial conflicts of interest.
FROM THE EULAR CONGRESS 2013