Effects of routine drug therapy in combination with health exercise training on pain and joint function in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A meta analysis

Abstract

Purpose: To logically review the effect of conventional drug therapy in combination with healthy exercise training on pain and joint function in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: A search on case-control trials was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China VIP database, Wanfang database and China Biomedical Literature Database (CBM) online database from January 2005 to May 2022. A separate extraction of the data was conducted by two researchers. A meta-analysis of the data was undertaken using RevMan5.3 statistical software as a tool for assessing the bias risk of each contained article. Results: A total of 7 clinical controlled studies with 483 samples were obtained. Based on the meta-analysis, the study group was significantly lower (p < 0.05) on the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score, Joint Tenderness Count (JTC), Joint Swelling Number (JSN), Morning Stiffness Time (MST) and DAS28 score. However, it was significantly higher (p < 0.05) on the average grip strength of both hands, Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) and patients' general assessment (PGA). Conclusion: Routine drug therapy, in combination with healthy exercise training significantly reduces the degree of pain, relieves joint symptoms, and improves quality of life in patients with RA.