Effect of Physiotherapy on Spinal Mobility in Ankylosing Spondylitis

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Abstract
Viitanen JV. Suni J, Kautiainen H, Liimatainen M, Takala H. Effect of Physiotherapy on Spinal Mobility in Ankylosing Spondylitis. Scand J Rheumatol 1992; 21: 38–41. The efficacy of intensive inpatient physiotherapy was retrospectively analysed in 505 adult patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Eight different measures of thoracic and spinal mobility were collected from the patients' medical records. Recovery in terms of the following measures was 7 to 37% when results after rehabilitation were compared to those taken before: thoracolumhar flexibility (TLF) 15%. the Schober test 12.4%. occipital to wall distance (OWD) 30.8%, cervical rotation 22.6'%, chin to chest distance (CCD) 21.7%, finger to floor distance (FED) 36.6%, chest expansion (CE) 31.370, vital capacity (VC) 7.4%. Changes in all measures were statistically significant (p < 0.001). OWD, CE and FFD showed greatest improvement. The average increase in CE was about 1 cm in both sexes and the average increase in VC 200 ml in men and 270 ml in women, which indicates improvement in ventilator capacity. Mobility in the majority of patients improved, though in 2 to 8% range of motion (ROM) deteriorated during the course.