PHYSICAL-TRAINING IN RHEUMATOID-ARTHRITIS - A CONTROLLED LONG-TERM STUDY .1.

  • 1 January 1981
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 10  (1) , 17-23
Abstract
Patients (23) with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were given physical training for 4-8 yr. A control group of equal size and with the same disease severity was studied for comparison. The training program consisted of home training and, for most of the patients, also group training led by a physiotherapist. There was a significantly less pronounced progress of X-ray changes in the joints of the active patients compared to control patients. Physiological tests and clinical parameters, including sick pension and sick leave, show unanimously a better disease outcome in the active group of patients. There is probably a risk of overuse or disuse of the joints in RA, but it is apparently better to be overactive rather than the reverse. As in many other diseases, the general prescription of rest in RA is not adequate.