Effects of Clinical Pilates Exercises in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterised by polyarthritis and erosive synovitis and is associated with progressive impairments and activity limitations. It may cause destruction of bone and cartilage by affecting synovial joints symmetrically. Organ involvement may be seen in the patients with RA as well as joint involvement. Initiation of the disease is mostly insidious and varies from patient to patient. Hand, wrist, foot, elbow and knee joints involvement are common. Furthermore almost all joints may be affected. Extraarticular symptoms are subcutaneous nodules, visceral nodules, cardiologic involvement, pulmonary involvement, eye involvement, neurological involvement, vasculitis, felty syndrome, amyloidosis, osteoporosis, liver and renal involvements. These symptoms may cause some extra complaints such as depression, fatigue, kinesiophobia and physical inactivity. Studies in literature have reported reduction in physical activity level in patients with RA. Reasons of physical inactivity can be listed as general obstacles such as lack of time, lack of motivation, weather condition and disease related blocks such as pain, fatigue, disease activity, depression, kinesiophobia. Depression prevalence in RA patients is found between 14.8% and 38.8% and this rate is estimated five times more than healthy people. Also, a study investigating pain in RA patients resulted that pain may be correlated with fatigue and depression. Fatigue which is frequently observed complaint of patients with rheumatic diseases is reported incidence between 40% and 80%. RA patients have been reported at high risk for cardiovascular diseases in EULAR recommendations.

Positive effects of physical activity and exercise on physiological, morphological and psychosocial conditions are known. Endurance, flexibility, muscle strength, body composition, self confidence and mood improve by regular exercise and high physical activity level. Furthermore, anti-inflammatory affects of exercise are proved in last years. Aims of pilates exercises which are developed by Joseph Pilates are to increase motor control, range of motion, flexibility, muscle strength and endurance, to improve balance, respiratory pattern and body awareness, to reduce stress. There are many studies investigating affects of pilates exercises on quality of life, functional capacity, posture, pain for different diseases including Multiple Sclerosis, Ankylosing Spondylitis, breast cancer. Aerobic and strengthening exercises reported to have positive affects on fatigue, quality of life, depression and pain for RA patients. The aim of this study is to investigate effects of clinical pilates exercises on fatigue, depression, aerobic capacity, pain, quality of life, disease activity and sleep quality.