High-Intensity Interval Training Safe for Psoriatic Arthritis Patients

The primary outcomes of interest for this analysis were the proportions of patients with increased ultrasound bright-mode scores, power-doppler (PD) signals of joints and entheses, and Spondyloarthritis-Research-Consortium-of-Canada (SPARCC)-BME scores of the sacroiliac joint and spine for both groups.

• Upon analysis, the results revealed that the proportions of patients with increased ultrasound bright-mode scores were 32% and 28% in the exercise and control groups, respectively.
  
• PD scores indicated that increases occurred among 7% of the exercise group and 10% of the control group for joints, while increases in PD scores of entheses were observed in 32% of the exercise group and 31% of the control group.
• MRI analysis showed that bone marrow edema (BME) scores of the sacroiliac joint increased in 6% of the exercise group and 10% of the control group.
• For MRI BME of the spine, increases were observed in 6% of the exercise group and 5% of the control group.

In summary, this randomised controlled trial found no substantial evidence of increased inflammation after three months of high-intensity interval training, as evaluated by objective measures such as ultrasound of peripheral joints and entheses, as well as MRI assessments of bone marrow edema in the sacroiliac joint and spine, when comparing the HIIT group with the control group.

Reference:

Thomsen RS, Nilsen TIL, Haugeberg G, et al. Changes of inflammation in patients with psoriatic arthritis after high intensity interval training assessed by ultrasound and MRI, a randomized controlled trial. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2023;24(1):743. Published 2023 Sep 19. doi:10.1186/s12891-023-06871-3