Exercise as Adjunctive Therapy in People with Scleroderma

This online activity will discuss the pathophysiology, common treatments, and evidence of exercise in scleroderma and provide you with practical exercise considerations for when you are working with someone with scleroderma.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc), also called scleroderma, is a heterogeneous multisystem autoimmune disease characterised by excessive collagen production and infiltration causing organ and skin fibrosis, and vascular injury. The hallmark features of SSc are thickening or hardening of the skin and internal organs which can lead to complications such as pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary arterial hypertension, renal failure, or gastrointestinal complications. 

SSc is a rare disease with an estimated overall prevalence of 17.6 to 23 cases per 100 000 persons, and an overall incident rate of 1.4 cases per 100 000 persons per year. Although physical activity is considered important for health benefits in all people and those with an autoimmune disease, data from a large SSc national cohort demonstrated that approximately 50% of people with SSc are physically inactive. People with SSc experience a wide array of barriers that may impede their engagement in exercise. Joint stiffness and contractures, shortness of breath, fatigue, and pain are some examples of barriers that have been identified for people with SSc to engage in exercise. Considering there are currently no curative pharmacological treatments available for people with SSc, exercise along with other non-pharmaceutical interventions is a possible way to ease the disease burden and improve physical function and health related quality of life (HRQOL). However, there is limited information and specific guidelines about non-pharmacological care in SSc, including exercise. This is largely due to heterogeneity in interventions, and outcomes, and because the studied samples are in many cases small. More intervention studies, with more participants with SSc, is warranted to improve our understanding about the effectiveness and safety of exercise in SSc. 

This is a recording of an ESSA webinar presented on 13 June 2023. 

Presented by Stephanie Frade, AES, AEP

Stephanie Frade is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist and director of Immune Exercise Physiology, a small business specialising in exercise for people with autoimmune disease. Stephanie also works as a research manager for the Rheumatology department at Liverpool hospital and sessional academic at the University of Technology Sydney. She volunteers as a committee member for Scleroderma NSW and Scleroderma Australia and is a person living with Systemic Lupus Erythematous herself, and amongst a family of Systemic Sclerosis, Rheumatoid arthritis and Celiac disease. Stephanie recently received her doctorate in the topic exercise for people with systemic sclerosis and systemic lupus erythematosus and is very passionate and knowledgeable in this area.

Rates per person

ESSA Member		$33.00
Non-Member		$55.00
ESSA Student Member		$16.50
Student Non-Member		$27.50
ESSA Member PD+		Complimentary
Non-Member PD+		Complimentary

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Target Audience

Any Accredited Exercise Physiologist.

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