Background: Rheumatic diseases are complex conditions that cause chronic pain and significant physical, psychological, and social impairments. Though they differ in etiology, severity, and disease course, they all result in substantial limitations in daily and socio-economic activities, including work, which can lead to complete cessation. In Italy, approximately 5 million people are affected by rheumatological conditions. Rheumatic diseases are the second leading cause of morbidity after cardiovascular diseases and the leading cause of chronic degenerative conditions. Rheumatic diseases have a severe impact on social and healthcare costs. In Italy alone, the estimated annual costs for chronic rheumatic diseases exceed 4 billion euros. It is well-documented that pharmacological therapy alone is insufficient for properly managing individuals with rheumatological diseases. Scientific studies highlight the need to combine early pharmacological treatment with a personalized rehabilitation program. Rheumatological rehabilitation, if correctly prescribed and performed, can enhance the effectiveness of pharmacological therapy by carefully assessing each affected joint in the individual patient. Rheumatological diseases require continuous interventions that can produce large-scale changes while reducing overall healthcare expenditure.

Objectives: Through the project “Rehabilitation and Physical Activity in Rheumatological Diseases,” APMARR Associazione Nazionale Persone con Malattie Reumatologiche e Rare APS ETS (Italy) aims to raise awareness among rheumatology patients of the importance of physical activity as an “additional therapy.” The project seeks to raise awareness of telerehabilitation as a way to ensure continuity of care after patient discharge and improve treatment adherence. As a patient association, APMARR also aims to promote the use of digital technologies in rheumatology, a currently underdeveloped field. If correctly prescribed and performed, rheumatological rehabilitation can enhance the effectiveness of pharmacological therapy, reduce drug use, and significantly influence the progression toward disability in more severe rheumatic diseases. It can also improve patients’ quality of life. However, to date, rheumatological rehabilitation is not well known or implemented, unlike rehabilitation in other disciplines, such as neurology, cardiology, and orthopedics, which also include rheumatic patients. Physical activity is an important component of maintaining physical and mental health for patients with one or more long-term conditions, including rheumatic diseases. Several publications have highlighted the benefits of physical activity for people with chronic diseases, such as arthritis and osteoarthritis. These benefits include reducing symptoms, preventing complications, and maintaining function. Combining rehabilitation with appropriate physical activity is essential for adequate long-term disease management and represents a cornerstone of non-pharmacological treatment for axial spondyloarthritis.

Methods: APMARR Associazione Nazionale Persone con Malattie Reumatologiche e Rare APS ETS (Italy) promoted a series of webinars focused on rehabilitation and dedicated to the most common rheumatological diseases. These webinars were targeted at patients and caregivers. The project involved experts in rheumatology, physical rehabilitation medicine, physiotherapy, and posturology. To ensure the events and information were widely disseminated, APMARR engaged its community through a mailing list with 12,000 contacts, website publications, and social media channels with more than 5,000 followers. During the webinars, participants actively engaged by submitting questions to the speakers during and at the end of the sessions.

Results: The organization and promotion of webinars dedicated to the following themes led to the wide dissemination of information on the importance of rheumatological rehabilitation and direct, active engagement of participants:

• Rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis: the importance of rehabilitation

• Rehabilitation in fibromyalgia

• Exercise is Medicine

The webinars received more than 22,000 views. The project was also publicized in “Morfologie,” APMARR’s digital magazine, which was distributed to over 8,500 people. Project-related content was disseminated via the APMARR website and social media channels to a community of over 5,000 people. Specific activities, such as the “Exercise is Medicine” webinar, involved qualified and accredited institutions, including the University of Padua’s Department of Medicine and Sports and Exercise Medicine Unit. Other nationally relevant patient associations were also involved, including ANMAR (Associazione Nazionale Malati Reumatici) and APIAFCO (Associazione Psoriasici Italiani Amici della Fondazione Natalino Corazza) in addition to APMARR. The project won first place in the “Patient Support Program” category at the 2025 Helaglobe Patient Engagement Awards.

Conclusions: The “Rehabilitation and Physical Activity in Rheumatological Diseases” webinars are part of a broader project that includes additional webinars dedicated to exploring rheumatological rehabilitation, posturology, patient education on telerehabilitation and wellness. There will also be sessions involving sports medicine physicians and rheumatologists. These activities will be carried out in collaboration with other patient associations to ensure the widest possible dissemination of information.

REFERENCES: [1] Antonella Celano, President APMARR.

[2] Mauro D’Antonio, Board Member APMARR.

Acknowledgments: NIL.

Disclosure of Interests: None declared.