Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2019 Dec 9;3(2):rkz044.
doi: 10.1093/rap/rkz044. eCollection 2019.

The effect and safety of exercise therapy in patients with systemic sclerosis: a systematic review

Sophie I E Liem  1 , Theodora P M Vliet Vlieland  2 , Jan W Schoones  3 , Jeska K de Vries-Bouwstra  1
Affiliations
Review

The effect and safety of exercise therapy in patients with systemic sclerosis: a systematic review

Sophie I E Liem et al. Rheumatol Adv Pract. .

Abstract

Given the shortcomings of previous literature reviews evaluating the effect and safety of exercise therapy in SSc, we aimed to carry out a systematic review of the literature specifically on this topic. A structured search strategy was performed in Medline (via PubMed) and other electronic databases from 1990 to 3 September 2019. Randomized controlled trials, observational designs, conference abstracts and trial registrations were included if they concerned SSc patients ≥18 years of age, exercise therapy and reported outcomes related to physical functioning. Nine articles were included. Four randomized controlled trials compared (a) hand exercises, (b) orofacial exercises, (c) aerobic exercises or (d) aerobic exercises plus resistance training with no exercise, demonstrating effects on hand function (a), maximum mouth opening (b), peak oxygen uptake (c + d) and quality of life. All five observational studies concerning hand, orofacial, aerobic and/or strengthening exercises reported improvements of hand function, mouth opening, aerobic capacity and/or muscle strength. In conclusion, the evidence on the effect and safety of exercise therapy in SSc is scanty.

Keywords: exercise; exercise therapy; review; scleroderma; systemic sclerosis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

<sc>Fig</sc>. 1
Fig. 1
Flow diagram of selection process
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Hinchcliff M, Varga J.. Systemic sclerosis/scleroderma: a treatable multisystem disease. Am Fam Physician 2008;78:961–8. - PubMed
    1. Bassel M, Hudson M, Taillefer SS. et al. Frequency and impact of symptoms experienced by patients with systemic sclerosis: results from a Canadian National Survey. Rheumatology 2011;50:762–7. - PubMed
    1. Cuomo G, Santoriello C, Polverino F. et al. Impaired exercise performance in systemic sclerosis and its clinical correlations. Scand J Rheumatol 2010;39:330–5. - PubMed
    1. Pettersson H, Åkerström A, Nordin A. et al. Self-reported physical capacity and activity in patients with systemic sclerosis and matched controls. Scand J Rheumatol 2017;46:490–5. - PubMed
    1. Liem SIE, Meessen J, Wolterbeek R. et al. Physical activity in patients with systemic sclerosis. Rheumatol Int 2018;38:443–53. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources