Home exercise is considered essential, but patient compliance remains a mystery

Abstract

Abstract Background Regular exercise is essential in the treatment of Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS), as the main goals of the treatment are to reduce pain, restore function, avoid disability and structural deterioration, and improve quality of life (QoL). The purpose of this study is to ascertain whether patients adhere to exercise recommendations and to evaluate the effects of consistent exercise on patients' pain, function, disease activity, mood, and quality of life. Many studies emphasize the need for exercise in treatment of AS, but none reveal whether patients follow prescribed practices and the results of doing so. Results Exercising group had significantly decreased pain, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and Bath ankylosing spondylitis functional index and Bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index (BASDAI) scores (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups in morning stiffness, mood, spinal mobility, and QoL parameters (p > 0.05). Regular exercise was positively correlated with physiotherapy history. Regression analysis revealed that with an increase of 1 unit in visual analog scale and BASDAI, regular exercise decreased by 0.087 and 0.116 units, respectively. Conclusion Our study revealed how much the patients considers and follows the recommended exercises and concluded that regular exercise habits should be developed since they offer promising effects in treatment of AS, hence, patients should be educated in this area, and particular exercise routines should be developed to encourage them to exercise.