Instructions were provided, and the patients were supervised during all the sessions by a professional exercise physiologist. They were provided with handouts and video clips containing instructions and descriptions of the exercises learnt, and were encouraged to repeat the exercises at home at least twice weekly. Three control subjects dropped out within 2 weeks for personal reasons.Īll patients in the exercise group received once-weekly training sessions over 12 weeks. Two subjects in the exercise group dropped out (after a diagnosis of breast cancer and for a personal reason). Forty patients were recruited and assigned to two groups not based on their willingness to participate in exercise, with 20 in the exercise group and 20 in the control. The patient flowchart is shown in Figure 1. Stable disease defined as a change in Disease Activity Score (DAS28) was ≤3.2 (low current disease activity), and the difference in DAS28 scores between the baseline and the last measurement was ≤1.2. One rheumatologist performed a screening of disease activity based on clinical and laboratory data. Patients with an inability to bear weight on their lower extremities, a history of hip or knee replacement surgery, a recent or ongoing disease flare, an unstable heart condition (ischemic heart disease during the last month, heart rate > 120/min at rest, systolic blood pressure > 180 mmHg, or diastolic blood pressure > 120 mmHg), or serious comorbidities (e.g., malignancy) were excluded. The inclusion criteria were age > 18 years, a sedentary lifestyle (no participation in structured exercise over the preceding 3 months), and stable disease (no changes in disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs or steroids in the last 3 months). Female RA patients were consecutively recruited from the rheumatology department of St. This was a prospective, interventional controlled trial. Thus, strengthening exercise is useful for patients with RA. The exercise group exhibited significant improvements in the SF-36 mental health domain scores. The activity level did not change significantly in either group. After the 12-week intervention period, the lower-limb strength and the CSA-RF were significantly increased in the exercise group. A total of 35 subjects completed the experiment (18 in the exercise group, 17 in the control group). We derived the Borg scale score after the 6MWT and assessed the extent of social participation and quality of life using a Korean version of the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). We measured the hand grip strength and isometric quadriceps contraction, the cross-sectional area of the rectus femoris (CSA-RF) (via ultrasonography), and performed the 30 s sit-to-stand test and the 6 min walk test (6MWT). All participants were assessed before and after the 12-week intervention period. All patients in the exercise group received once-weekly training sessions of 60 min over 12 weeks. Forty female RA patients were recruited and assigned to two groups not based on willingness to exercise, with 20 patients in the exercise group and 20 in the control group. Here, we investigated the effects of 12 weeks of upper- and lower-limb strengthening exercise on the strength and quality of life of RA patients using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health model. We hypothesized that systemic strength training that includes the upper and lower extremities would improve strength per se and enhance the quality of life. However, whole-limb strengthening exercises for such patients remain poorly studied. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients may benefit from exercise for several reasons.
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