The efficacy and safety of Yijinjing exercise in the adjuvant treatment of ankylosing spondylitis: A protocol of randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease with high disability rate. Conventional treatment regimens have long medication cycles and are associated with adverse reactions. Therapeutic exercise is also considered to be an effective treatment for AS. Evidence suggests that Yijinjing as a low-energy exercise has advantages in adjuncting AS, but there is a lack of standard clinical studies to evaluate its efficacy and safety. METHODS: This is a prospective randomized controlled trial to investigate the efficacy and safety of Yijinjing in the adjuvant treatment of AS. Approved by the Clinical Research Ethics Association of our hospital, patients were randomly divided into treatment or control groups in a ratio of 1:1. The treatment group received 4-month Yijinjing training on the basis of conventional treatment, while the control group received conventional treatment and maintained their current lifestyle. The outcome indicators included: activity index, functional ability, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index, adverse reaction, etc. Finally, SPASS 22.0 software was used for statistical analysis of the data. DISCUSSION: This study evaluated the clinical efficacy of Yijinjing exercise in the adjuvant treatment of AS, and the results of our study will provide a reference for the clinical use of Yijinjing exercise as an effective complementary alternative for the treatment of AS.