Benefit Sustained From Short-Term Physical Therapy For RA

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Benefit Sustained From Short-Term Physical Therapy For Rheumatoid Arthritis

http://rheumatology.medscape.com/reuters/prof/2001/02/02.13/20010212clin002.html

WESTPORT, CT (Reuters Health) Feb 12 - The improvements seen in patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis who participate in short-term, home-based physical therapy program are maintained at 1-year followup, according to researchers. Dr. Sydney C. Lineker of Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto and colleagues note that they previously demonstrated the efficacy of a 6-week, home-based physical therapy intervention for patients with rheumatoid arthritis. In the January issue of the Journal of Rheumatology, they report the results of a prospective, uncontrolled cohort study to determine whether the short-term improvements were maintained at 1 year. The investigators explain that patients in the short-term study were randomly assigned to receive physical therapy, delivered by specially trained physiotherapists, from weeks 0 to 6, or to a wait list control group. Patients in the control group received the intervention, which included education, exercise and pain relief modalities, between weeks 6 to 12. The team used several assessment scales to measure outcome and a visual analog scale to evaluate pain. In addition, they measured disease activity, including tender joints, grip strength and morning stiffness. According to the authors, 117 (92.1%) of the 127 subjects who completed the protocol were available for the 1-year followup. "For those measures that showed significant improvement in the randomized controlled trial...improvements at 12 weeks were maintained at 52 weeks," they say. "Future studies need to explore the relative contributions of education, exercise, home-based care, specialist training for therapists, and reinforcement strategies in improving long-term outcomes for patients with RA," Dr. Lineker and colleagues conclude. J Rheumatol 2001;28:165-168.