Unregistered User If this is not your name, click here.
		Contact Us | Order Now | Journals | Bookstore | Register a colleague
	Select a ChannelAcneAIDS and HIVAllergy OtherAlzheimer'sAnaesthesiology OtherAngina Pectoris/MIAnxietyArthritis OtherAsthmaBack PainBacterial InfectionsBladder CancerBone Marrow TransplantationBreast CancerCardiology OtherCataractCell TransplantationCervical CancerCholesterol/Lipid disordersCirrhosisClinical PharmacologyColorectal CancerCongestive Heart FailureContact DermatitisContraceptionCOPDCystic FibrosisDental and Oral DisordersDepressionDermatology OtherDiabetesDialysisEating DisordersElbowEmergency MedicineEndocrinology OtherEpilepsyErectile DysfunctionFibromyalgiaGastro OtherGeneticsGenitourinary OtherGeriatricsGERD/GastritisGlaucomaH. Pylori/UlcerHaematology OtherHair LossHeadachesHepa/Biliary OtherHepatitisHipHRTHypertensionIBDImmunologyInfectious OtherInfertilityIntensive CareIrritable Bowel SyndromeKneeLeukemiasLiver CancerLung CancerLupusLymphomasMelanomaMenopauseMultiple Sclerosis Nephrology OtherNeurologic OtherNutritional / Metabolic OtherOb/Gyn OtherObesityOncology OtherOphth. OtherOphthalmic SurgeryOrgan TransplantationOrthopaedics OtherOsteoarthritisOsteoporosisOtitisOtorhino. OtherOvarian CancerPaediatricsPainPancreatic CancerParkinson'sPregnancyProstate CancerPsychiatry OtherPulmonary OtherRadiologyRenal CancerRenal FailureRespiratory InfectionsRheumatoid arthritisRheumatology OtherRhinitisSchizophreniaShoulderSleep ApnoeaSleep DisordersSpineStrokeSTDsSurgeryThyroid DisordersTransfusionTransplant Surgery OtherTraumaUrinary IncontinenceUrinary tract infectionsVaccinologyVascular DisordersViral Infections

SEARCH   News Bookstore Medline The Web Meetings & Congresses Complete Doctor's Guide    EXPLORE :    All News   All Webcasts   All Cases   All Meetings & Congresses   All Medical Resources New drugs / indications English Dictionary Medical Dictionary Thesaurus Warning | Privacy | Awards  Favourite Journals  Click here to choose your favourite journals  Favourite Sites  Click here to choose your favourite sites  Languages  Select languageEnglishFrançais

Group Exercise Helps Patients With Rheumatic Disease Achieve Fitness WASHINGTON, MD -- November 10, 1997 -- A group program of moderate conditioning exercise for people with rheumatic diseases can have significant therapeutic long-term effects, according to research presented at the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals National Scientific Meeting Nov. 9-12, 1997 in Washington, MD. Nearly 200 adults with diagnoses of rheumatoid arthritis, other systemic inflammatory diseases such as lupus and scleroderma and spinal arthropathy were enrolled in the University of Missouri study. Some were directed to an exercise group, while others served as the control group. At the beginning of the study, two-thirds reported no regular physical activity. Only 12 percent said they exercised enough to meet the minimum levels recommended in the U.S. Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity. During the study, fitness levels of those enrolled in the exercise group improved significantly. At the end of one year and two years, the exercisers scored higher than the control group on fitness measures. At the end of two years, those in the exercise group reported an average of 78 minutes of exercise per week, with 36 percent meeting or exceeding the Surgeon General's recommendation. Those in the control group exercised an average of 53 minutes per week with 13 percent meeting or exceeding the Surgeon General's recommendation. "This study confirms that a formal program of group exercise can help people with rheumatic diseases achieve their fitness goals," said Marian Minor, PT, PhD, of the University of Missouri and lead author on the study. "When we simply tell people that exercise is good and then leave them to go at it alone, we are not providing the best help available." The study was sponsored by the Missouri Arthritis Rehabilitation Research and Training Center plus the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine. The paper was presented today at a news conference co-sponsored by the American College of Rheumatology and the University of Missouri-Columbia Arthritis Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (MARRTC). E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version