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
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2021 Mar;24(3):445-455.
doi: 10.1111/1756-185X.14072. Epub 2021 Feb 28.

The efficacy of manual soft-tissue mobilization in ankylosing spondylitis: A randomized controlled study

Elif Gur Kabul  1 , Bilge Basakci Calik  1 , Mucahit Oztop  1 , Veli Cobankara  2
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

The efficacy of manual soft-tissue mobilization in ankylosing spondylitis: A randomized controlled study

Elif Gur Kabul et al. Int J Rheum Dis. 2021 Mar.

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this randomized controlled study was to investigate the effect of soft-tissue mobilization in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

Method: Twenty-one patients (mean age 44.57 ± 10.40 years) were randomly divided into two groups. There were 13 patients (11 females, 2 males, age 43.69 ± 9.94 years) in the intervention group and 8 patients (5 females, 3 males, age 46.00 ± 11.67 years) in the control group. In the intervention group, soft-tissue mobilization therapy and 20 spinal mobility exercises were applied. The control group received only 20 spinal mobility exercises. The Bath AS Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), Bath AS Functional Index (BASFI), and Bath AS Metrology Index (BASMI) were used for assessment of disease activity, functional level, and mobility, respectively. Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) for quality of life and Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) were used to determine disability levels.

Results: We found significant differences between pretreatment and post-treatment scores of BASDAI (P = 0.049); BASFI (P = 0.009; lateral lumbar flexion (P = 0.005), maximal intermalleolar distance (P = 0.001) and total score (P = 0.001) of BASMI; pain subtest (P = 0.036) and total score (P = 0.036) of NHP; and RMDQ score (P = 0.004) in the intervention group. However, in the control group the BASMI score (P = 0.049) was observed to worsen significantly. Delta values were compared and differences in BASFI (P = 0.039), and in lateral lumbar flexion (P = 0.027), maximal intermalleolar distance (P = 0.045) and total score (P = 0.001) of BASMI were significant in favor of intervention group. Only tragus-to-wall distance (P = 0.039) of BASMI was observed to worsen significantly in the control group.

Conclusion: We recommend the use of soft-tissue mobilization in addition to the exercises to treat AS patients.

Keywords: ankylosing spondylitis; exercise; manual therapy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

REFERENCES

    1. Van Der Linden LS, Valkenburg HA, Cats A. Evaluation of diagnostic criteria for Ankylosing spondylitis. Arthritis Rheum. 1984;27(4):361-368.
    1. Sieper J, Rudwaleit M, Baraliakos X, et al. The Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society (ASAS) handbook: a guide to assess spondyloarthritis. Ann Rheum Dis. 2009;68(Suppl 2):ii1-ii44.
    1. Rudwaleit M, Haibel H, Baraliakos X, et al. The early disease stage in axial spondylarthritis: results from the German spondyloarthritis inception cohort. Arthritis Rheum. 2009;60(3):717-727.
    1. Rojas-Vargas M, Munoz-Gomariz E, Escudero A, et al. First signs and symptoms of spondyloarthritis-data from an inception cohort with a disease course of two years or less (REGISPONSER-Early). Rheumatology. 2009;48(4):404-409.
    1. Nazarinia MA, Ghaffarpasand F, Heiran HR, Habibagahi Z. Pattern of ankylosing spondylitis in an Iranian population of 98 patients. Mod Rheumatol. 2009;19(3):309-315.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources