The Effects of a 16-week Individualized, Intensive Strength Training Program for Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

8 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTIONEXPLANATION OF THE PROBLEM, ITS CONTEXT AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE 10 Impact of RA 10 Traditional treatment for RA 12 Current pharmaceutical treatment for RA 12 History of physical activity and RA 13 Significance of the present study 16 Embracing strength training for patients with RA 18 Key factors necessitating strength training for the treatment of RA 20 Treatment goals for RA 25 THESIS FORMAT 26 Origin of the study 26 CHAPTER 2: PRESENT STUDY 28 Study aim 28 METHODS 29 Study design 29 Recruitment and study entry 29 Subject eligibility 30 Study population 31 Assessments 32 RESULTS 53 Drop-outs 53 Strength and body composition 53 Function, disease activity and quality of life 54 Design and development of the program, lessons learned, limitations and satisfaction with the study 54 CONCLUSIONS 56 REFERENCES 58