Exercise reverses arthritis-related wasting

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Exercise reverses arthritis-related wasting

Mon Jun 27, 2005 01:34 PM ET

By Will Boggs, MD

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Progressive resistance training can help

patients with rheumatoid arthritis who experience muscle wasting,

researchers report.

" Generalized muscle wasting in rheumatoid arthritis is common although

often masked by a concomitant increase in fat mass, " Dr. e M.

Marcora told Reuters Health. " Our preliminary study suggests that

progressive resistance training is an effective treatment for this

metabolic complication of rheumatoid arthritis. "

As reported in the Journal of Rheumatology, Marcora from University of

Wales-Bangor, UK, and colleagues investigated the value of progressive

resistance training (PRT) in 20 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and

loss of muscle mass.

Ten of the patients participated in 12 weeks of PRT, consisting of

thrice-weekly sessions that included eight resistance exercises per

session. The other 10 patients continued their usual care without

additional PRT.

Progressive resistance training significantly increased lean body mass

and fat-free mass without altering total body weight, the researchers

report. Hand-grip strength, elbow flex strength, and 30-second

sit-to-stand test results increased significantly among patients who

underwent PRT.

Although the training did not affect overall quality of life, the

researchers note, participants reported less difficulty in advanced

activities of daily living.

PRT did not cause any arthritis flare-ups or injuries, the results

indicate, and training did not significantly affect any measures of

disease activity.

Any patient with rheumatoid arthritis should undertake low-impact,

moderate intensity exercise, Marcora advised, but not necessarily the

intensive training used in this study.

" The intense PRT program we used to stimulate muscle growth in

rheumatoid arthritis patients should probably be treated as a

'pharmacological' form of exercise and prescribed only to patients with

severe (muscle wasting), " he explained.

Nonetheless, " Any patient with low to moderate disease activity can

undertake this level of progressive resistance training, " he said.

" Although very intense on muscles, PRT is actually a low-impact

activity in terms of forces imposed on the joints when performed

correctly, " Marcora pointed out. " This is why it is very important that

patients are initially supervised and appropriately instructed by a

clinical exercise physiologist. "

SOURCE: Journal of Rheumatology, June 2005.