Recreational exercise in rheumatic diseases.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in health-related quality of life after eight to twelve months of recreational exercise in patients with rheumatic diseases (inflammatory joint disease, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia and other generalized pain syndromes), and to determine whether patient (age, sex, diagnosis) and exercise characteristics (follow-up time, type of activity, frequency of participation) are related to health-related quality of life change. Health-related quality of life was assessed twice in 138 patients with rheumatic diseases. 1) At enrolment in a centre for outpatient recreational exercise and 2) following eight to twelve months of recreational exercise. Health-related quality of life was measured using the Short-Form Health Survey 36 and three numeric rating scales for pain, fatigue and general condition. Multiple linear regression was used to analyze the influence of patient and exercise characteristics on follow-up HRQoL-score. Patients showed significant improvements in pain and general condition, and reported a positive change in health. A diagnosis of inflammatory joint disease (e. g. rheumatoid arthritis, polyarthritis, spondylitis) or osteoarthritis, participating in sports activities two to three times per week, and following land-based fitness classes were associated with the most improvement in health-related quality of life. Regular participation in recreational exercise contributes to improved health-related quality of life in patients with rheumatic diseases. (c) Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart . New York.