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Does arthritis make your life miserable? Try a workout… or a chat! Being active could help sufferers fight crippling fatigue, a study suggests
- Exercise and talk therapy could help thousands of arthritis sufferers
- Those who had talk or exercise therapy significantly reduced fatigue compared to those who received usual treatment, the Universities of Aberdeen and Glasgow said
- The benefits lasted six months after completing treatment
Exercise and talk therapy could help thousands of rheumatoid arthritis patients fight crippling fatigue, according to a study.
Patients with other inflammatory diseases like lupus and axial spondylitis could also benefit from the treatments, which should be part of routine care, experts say.
Around 800,000 people in the UK have these conditions and four in five of them live with fatigue every day.
This affects their ability to concentrate, go to work, or live independently.
Researchers from the Universities of Aberdeen and Glasgow looked at ways to reduce fatigue in these patients.
The researchers found that those who had talk therapy or exercise therapy for arthritis significantly reduced levels of fatigue compared to those who received usual care
They compared three forms of care for 368 people with various inflammatory rheumatic diseases.
Participants received either physical activity programs delivered over the phone, cognitive behavioral therapy, or usual care.
Those in the exercise group had five 45-minute individual sessions over 30 weeks, while those who had talk therapy received an average of eight sessions over the same period. The usual care group received an educational brochure on fatigue.
The researchers found that those who had talk therapy or exercise therapy significantly reduced levels of fatigue compared to those who received usual care.
According to the study published in the Lancet Rheumatology, the benefits lasted six months after completing treatment.
And those who were offered these interventions reported improved sleep, mental health, and quality of life compared to those who received usual care.
Wendy Booth, 57, from Pitmedden, Aberdeenshire, has had to quit her job as a psychiatric nurse at Royal Cornhill Hospital, Aberdeen, after suffering from lupus and Sjogren’s syndrome.
She said: “Fatigue really affects what you can do. If I work in the garden one day, I know I’ll pay for it the next.”
A pharmacist shows a box of tocilizumab, used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Those who had talk or exercise therapy significantly reduced fatigue compared to those who received usual treatment, the Universities of Aberdeen and Glasgow said
Miss Booth, who was physically active in the study, added: “The physical therapist would call me about every two weeks and that was really encouraging. I feel that studying has helped give me a purpose. I joined a gym and have a good trainer who understands my abilities and gives me modified exercises so I can keep up with everyone else in the same class.
“Mentally I feel stronger and also physically – my motto is ‘I want to keep what I have’ instead of decaying.”
Professor Neil Basu, who led most of the research at the University of Aberdeen but is now based at the University of Glasgow, said: “Our study provides new evidence that some non-pharmacological interventions can be successfully and effectively delivered by lay people of clinical service.
“It was encouraging to see that the interventions resulted in improvements for the participants, even six months after the end of treatment.”
dr Neha Issar-Brown, director of research at the charity Versus Arthritis, said: “Fatigue and chronic pain go hand in hand.
“However, fatigue is typically unresponsive to drugs for these conditions and often goes undetected by physicians.”
WHAT IS RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS? THE PAINFUL LONG-TERM ILLNESS THAT IS INCURRABLE
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affects around 400,000 people in the UK
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affects around 400,000 people in the UK and nearly 1.3 million adults in the US.
Women get sick up to three times more often than men. Individuals with a family history of rheumatoid arthritis are also more susceptible.
It’s a long-term disease in which the immune system causes the body to attack itself, resulting in painful, swollen, and stiff joints.
RA, the second most common form of arthritis, which often begins between the ages of 40 and 50, tends to affect the hands, wrists, and knees.
Scientists are currently unsure of the exact cause of RA, but smoking, eating lots of red meat, and coffee drinkers are at higher risk.
A cure has yet to be found, but treatments are available and have been shown to help slow the progressing condition.
RA is a complex autoimmune disease that is diagnosed and treated by a consultant rheumatologist in secondary care, and the patient is regularly followed up by a specialist-led multidisciplinary team in the hospital.
