Evaluation of a 10-week progressive resistance training programme for people with inflammatory arthritis

Background Inflammatory arthritis [IA] has adverse effects on strength, function, fatigue and well-being. Guidelines recommend people with IA should exercise to improve strength and cardiovascular fitness. In 2015, our Rheumatology Physiotherapy Team introduced an evidence-based Progressive Resistance Training Programme [PRTP] for people with IA. This research aimed to evaluate its effectiveness within a United Kingdom National Health Service [NHS] setting. Methods A pre- to post-treatment evaluation was conducted. People with IA attending Rheumatology Physiotherapy were offered the supervised PRTP (1-hour x 10 weeks), performing 7 resistance exercises each session (70-80% 1RM, 3 x 8-12 reps). Pre- and post-treatment outcomes included Health Assessment Questionnaire [HAQ], EQ5D-5L, Self-Efficacy (SARAH Trial), 30 second Sit-to-Stand [STS], FACIT-F (fatigue scale) and Grip Strength. Changes in outcomes were analysed using Paired Samples t-tests and standardised mean difference (SMD) were calculated. Results 201 patients commenced the programme between May 2015 and April 2019, with 121 participants completing it. Diagnoses included Rheumatoid Arthritis (n = 149), Psoriatic Arthritis (n = 42), Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (n = 5), Enteropathic IA (n = 2), Oligoarthritis (n = 1), Reactive Arthritis (n = 1) and Undifferentiated IA (n = 1). Age = mean 56.8 ± SD 14.8 years; number of sessions attended = 7.7 ± 3.4. There were no differences between participants not completing (n = 54; 72% women; age 55.0 ± 14.6 years; HAQ 0.99 ± 0.70) versus those completing the PRTP (n = 147; 78% women; age 57.5 ± 14.8 years; HAQ 0.86 ± 0.65). A pragmatic decision was made to analyse all available data for each outcome