Exercise Therapy in axSpA, Combined Exercises and How to Scale Them

Bas recommends spinal mobility work on at least two to three days a week, ideally daily, strength training two to three days a week at two to four sets of 8 to 15, aerobic exercise of 150 minutes moderate or 75 minutes vigorous a week, and neuromotor work on at least two days, both supervised and at home. He also trains the daily activities each patient finds hard. Examples include multi-directional spinal mobility lying, seated or standing, chin tucks, stretches for hip flexors, glutes, hamstrings and pectorals, squats, deadlifts, rows, incline push-ups, bridges, planks, intervals and active transport. Six combined exercises are demonstrated: lunge with rotation, squat with press, airplanes, clean and press, deadlift with high pull and a burpee variant. Personalization depends on goals, preferences, load capacity, disease activity and pain. Pain of 4/10 or less is usually fine, 7 or more calls for changes, and pain lasting beyond about half a day after exercise suggests adjusting. He shows how to scale each exercise through weight, speed, volume, range and easier variations.