Walking Football for Axial Spondyloarthritis

Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is a long-term inflammatory condition affecting the spine. Patients with this condition can have pain and stiffness in their back and neck. NICE Guidelines recommend that these patients should follow a structured exercise programme with additional hydrotherapy, to maintain mobility and flexibility, so as to improve quality of life. While there is limited hydrotherapy provided in Portsmouth to approximately 40 axSpA patients via the National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society (NASS), there is no bespoke structured exercise programme for over 400 axSpA patients under the care of the Rheumatology Department, other than exercise advice which patients are asked to follow in their own time. We propose twice-weekly Walking Football sessions for our axSpA patients as a structured exercise programme. Walking Football is an inclusive sport, with proven health benefits to other patient groups. Unlike traditional football, walking football is a non-contact sport; players are not allowed to run or jump, and the ball must stay below head height. In this way, people with some mobility impairment or mild frailty can still play. In addition to getting regular physical exercise, twice-weekly sessions would provide training in a sporting skill, as well as give opportunities to connect with other players socially, providing mental health benefits. We have a number of axSpA patients who are keen to try Walking Football as part of their axSpA management, but there is a lack of evidence on the safety and effectiveness of this. We thus plan to undertake a 12-week pragmatic feasibility study to gather this evidence.

NCT Number	NCT07414823
Lead Sponsor	Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust Collaborators: Portsmouth in the Community, NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Wessex
Conditions	Axial Spondyloarthritis
Enrollment	12 participants
Start Date	2025-10-20
Primary Completion	2026-03-15 (estimated)
Study Completion	2026-05-01 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-05-06