Objective: The aim of this work is to study the effects of intensive strengthening exercises on the functional ability, fatigue, psychological status as well as disease activity in patients with RA.
Methods: This study comprised 30 female patients with RA who were selected from the outpatient-clinics and in-patients of the departments of Rheumatology and Rehabilitation, Banha University Hospitals and Banha Teaching Hospital. These patients were randomly divided into 2 groups, each group consisted of 15 patients, where group (I) was allocated to an intensive exercise program twice weekly for 12 week. Group (II) patients were on a usual care program of range motion exercises. Both groups were matched as regard age (P = 0.23), duration of the disease (P = 0.15), weight (P = 0.3) and height (P = 0.9). All patients were almost on the same treatment regimen were subjected to a full history taking, thorough clinical examination, laboratory investigations and other clinical data (including: Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue (MAF), Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) and Disease Activity Score of 28 Joint Count (DAS28), walk test time, stair test time, depression and anxiety scores), that were obtained at presentation and after 12 weeks.
Results: By comparison between the two groups after 12 week, clinical evaluation data and laboratory data showed statistically significant differences as regard morning stiffness (P = 0.001), MAF (P = 0.001) and ESR (P = 0.002), and highly statistically significant differences as regard, HAQ, walk and stair tests, depression and anxiety scores (P<0.001) in favor of group (I). However, there were no statistically significant differences in DAS (P = 0.07) parameter between the two groups.
Conclusion: Twelve weeks intensive strengthening exercise program is effective in improving morning stiffness, fatigue, functional disability, depression and anxiety that occur in patients with RA. This program also has no deleterious effect on disease activity.
|
