The effects of education and exercise programs on disease activities and functional condition in patients with ankylosing spondylitis

ABSTRACT The Effects of Education and Exercise Programs on Disease Activities and Functional Condition in Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of education and exercise programs on disease activities and functional condition in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Thirty patients with AS from the University of Çukurova, Medical School, Balcali Hospital, with average age 34.90±6.28 years, average height 1673±7.75cm, average body weight 6938±10.9kg, and average length of illness 9.00±6.02 years, participated in this study voluntarily. These patients were separated into two groups of 15 people each an exercise group and a control group in order. The patients in the exercise group were subjected to a one- hour exercise program three times a week for three months. The patients in the control group did not participate to any activities. Measurements of functional and disease activities (chin to chest distance, Schoeber test, occiput to wall distance, finger to floor distance, chest expansion), physical work capacity (PWCno test), as well as measurements of vital capacity (VC) and spinal movement of the patients in both groups with inclinometer were taken before and after the three-month exercise period. SPSS 10.0 packet program was used for the statistical analysis for the comparison of the groups, student t-test and the paired t-test were used. In all tests, the level of significance and the margin for reliability were accepted to be "p<0.05" and "95%" respectively. The tests measuring spinal movement; the measurements of the chest expansion (p<0.05), and the finger to floor distance (0.001) tests of the exercise group showed significant positive improvements at the end of the three-month exercise period. The measurements of chin to chest distance (p<0.05) and occiput to wall distance of the control group, however, showed significant negative change at the end öf the same period. In comparing the results of both groups, it was observed that, at the end of three months, the exercise group's measurements for expansion of chest, chin to chest distance, Schoeber test, and occiput to waU distance were significantly better than the measurements of the control group. As to the measurements for spinal movements taken by inclinometer, at the end of three months, it was observed that while the exercise group's measurements improved significantly, there were no improvements in the control group's measurements. In comparing both groups, it was also observed that the "C point value of the exercise group was significantly higher then the control group's, at the end of the 3-month period. Similarly, while PWCno and VC values of the exercise group were improved, the values of the control group were decreased at the end of three months. In conclusion that in addition to the medical AS treatment, it is advisable to prescribe to AS patients a rehabilitation program that includes aerobic, stretching, and respiration exercises. Key Words: Ankylosing Spondylitis, Exercise xn