Evaluation of the effects of Global Postural Reeducation in patients with ankylosing spondylitis

The objective of this study is to assess the effects of Global Postural Reeducation (GPR) in patients with ankylosing spondylitis and compare GPR with group conventional segmental self-stretching and breathing exercises. This is a controlled interventional study of 38 patients divided into 2 groups: a GPR group (n = 22) and a control group (n = 16). Both groups were treated for more than 4 months. With the GPR group patients, positions that stretched the shortened muscle chains were used. With the control group patients, conventional segmental self-stretching and breathing exercises were performed. The variables analyzed were pain intensity, morning stiffness, spine mobility, chest expansion, functional capacity (Health Assessment Questionnaire–Spondyloarthropathies–HAQ-S), quality of life (Medical Outcome Study Short Form 36 Healthy Survey–SF-36), and disease activity (Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index–BASDAI). Statistical analysis was used with a significance level of P < 0.05. There was a statistically significant improvement for all the parameters analyzed between pre-and post-treatment in both groups. In the intergroup comparison, the GPR group showed a significantly greater improvement in morning stiffness (P = 0.013), spine mobility parameters, except finger-floor distance (P = 0.118), in chest expansion (P = 0.028), and in the physical aspect component of the SF-36 (P = 0.001). The results of this study showed that individual treatment with GPR (overall stretching) seems to have better clinical outcomes than group treatment with conventional segmental self-stretching and breathing exercises for patients with ankylosing spondylitis.