Conclusion Exercises and PA promotion according to public health recommendations  for PA improved cardiovascular fitness , muscle strength and PA behaviour , with moderate effect sizes in people with SpA , RA and HOA/KOA .
Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of exercise and physical activity ( PA ) promotion on cardiovascular fitness , muscle strength , flexibility , neuromotor performance ( eg , balance ) and daily PA in people with rheumatoid arthritis ( RA ) , spondyloarthritis ( SpA ) and hip/knee osteoarthritis ( HOA/KOA ) .
Effectiveness of exercise with or without thermal therapy for community-dwelling elderly Japanese women with non-specific knee pain: a randomized controlled trial.
UNLABELLED Knee pain is a common health problem in the elderly population , for which non-invasive treatments are recommended as a first line treatment in the management of knee pain . A r and omized controlled trial was conducted to determine the effects of exercise with or without thermal therapy in community-dwelling elderly women with chronic knee pain . Women over 75 years of age with knee pain ( n=150 ) were r and omly assigned into four groups ; exercise ( Ex ) and heat/steam generating sheet ( HSGS ) ( n=38 ) , Ex ( n=37 ) , HSGS ( n=38 ) , or health education ( HE ) ( n=37 ) . The Ex group attended a 60-min comprehensive training program twice a week for 3-months . The HSGS group placed two sheets on the knee for five hours per day . Functional fitness , visual analog scale ( VAS ) , and Japanese knee osteoarthritis measure ( JKOM ) were assessed at baseline and post-intervention . The results showed VAS improvements in the Ex+HSGS and HSGS groups . Total JKOM score , muscle strength , and functional mobility significantly improved in the Ex+HSGS group compared with the HE group . The odds ratio ( OR ) for VAS and functional mobility improvement was more than eight times as great in the Ex+HSGS group ( OR=8.60 , 95 % confidence interval (CI)=2.82 - 32.73 ) compared with the education group . Ex or HSGS alone were insufficient in enhancing functional fitness or improving pain and quality of life . The combined effects of both Ex and heat therapy seems to have an added benefit of decreasing pain , improving physical function and increasing quality of life . TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER JMA-IIA00110
Conclusion Exercises and PA promotion according to public health recommendations  for PA improved cardiovascular fitness , muscle strength and PA behaviour , with moderate effect sizes in people with SpA , RA and HOA/KOA .
Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of exercise and physical activity ( PA ) promotion on cardiovascular fitness , muscle strength , flexibility , neuromotor performance ( eg , balance ) and daily PA in people with rheumatoid arthritis ( RA ) , spondyloarthritis ( SpA ) and hip/knee osteoarthritis ( HOA/KOA ) .