Effectiveness of resistance exercise in functional fitness in women with primary Sjögren’s syndrome: randomized clinical trial

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to analyse the effectiveness of resistance exercise in functional fitness in women with primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS).

Method: This is a randomized controlled clinical trial with 51 volunteers: 26 allocated to the exercise group (GEX) and 25 to the control group. The GEX underwent a supervised resistance-training programme for 16 weeks, with two sessions per week. The outcomes measured were: functional capacity (FC), by the Fullerton Functional Fitness Test; Daily Motor Activity Index (DMAI), evaluated by an actigraph; disease activity, by the ESSDAI; and quality of life, by the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). The evaluations were performed by a blind evaluator at baseline (TØ) and after 16 weeks (T16wk).

Results: In the GEX, all FC parameters demonstrated improvement, except for the upper limb flexibility test (p = 0.866): upper and lower limb strength, flexibility, aerobic capacity, and agility (all p < 0.01). A similar situation occurred in the SF-36, where all domains demonstrated improvement except for the emotional aspect (p = 0.710): FC, physical aspects limitation, general health status, vitality, social aspects, and mental health (all p < 0.01). The DMAI (p = 0.2) and EULAR Sjögren’s Syndrome Disease Activity Index (ESSDAI) (p = 0.284) did not change. No significant improvement was observed in the control group.

Conclusion: The supervised resistance exercise programme did not worsen the DMAI or disease activity, demonstrating the safety of the intervention, and was effective in improving FC and quality of life in women with pSS.

Registry identifier (clinical trials.gov): NCT03130062.

Acknowledgements

We express thanks to all participants and our colleagues for their cooperation and help in bringing this research to its final conclusions. This study would not have been possible without their support.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

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