title: Efficacy of a land-based home exercise programme for patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis: a randomized, controlled, single-blind study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effects of a land-based home exercise programme on pain, functional ability and quality of life in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A randomized, controlled, single-blind study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty-one patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis participated in this study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Functional ability, pain, and quality of life were assessed with a 6-minute walk test, Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire, visual analogue scale, and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory. The patients were randomly assigned to an exercise or control group. The exercise group (n = 43) completed a 12-week individually planned land-based home exercise programme once a week at the hospital for 4 days per week. The control group (n = 38) was placed on the waiting list until the end of the study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Statistically significant improvements (p < 0.001) were found in all the outcome measures in the exercise group. The visual analogue scale score decreased significantly (p < 0.01) in the control group after 12 weeks. Other than the visual analogue scale score (P > 0.05), the changes in the other outcome measures (P < 0.001) were significant in favour of the exercise group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study demonstrated that participating in a 12-week individually planned land-based home exercise programme may result in improved physical function and quality of life in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
authors.affiliation: Division of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Istanbul University, 34452 İstanbul, Turkey. etarakci@istanbul.edu.tr.
authors.forename: Ela
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tarakci
authors.forename: Ipek
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Yeldan
authors.forename: S Nilay
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Baydogan
authors.forename: Seref
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Olgar
authors.forename: Ozgur
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kasapcopur
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D001171:Arthritis, Juvenile / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D059408:Pain Management; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011788:Quality of Life; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome