A landmark research project has concluded that individualised and targeted exercise programmes are a vital part of treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.

The findings, published in Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica are the result of work by researchers at the University of Sydney and the city’s St John of God Health Care Richmond Hospital.

There is mounting evidence of the important role exercise plays in combating depression, as well as how spa therapies can help PTSD. But there have been few studies to date on the role exercise can play in tackling the condition which the US Department of Veterans Affairs estimates affects up to 31 per cent of combat veterans.

In the general population, the same organisation believes PTSD affects 10 per cent of women and 4 per cent of men. Aside from its impact on mental health, PTSD is linked with a greater risk of conditions such as diabetes, obesity, alcohol abuse and cardiovascular disease.

For the new study, researchers conducted a clinical trial with 81 people, mostly former soldiers and police officers, in residential treatment for PTSD at St John of God Hospital.

Over a 12-week period, half of the patients received usual care – a combination of group therapy, medication and psychotherapy – while the other half received personalised exercise programmes combining walking and strength-based exercises, in addition to usual care. The exercise programme was deliberately designed to be low-cost, using elastic exercise bands to replicate traditional gym exercises such as bench press and squats, while motivational factors were also taken into account.

Lead author Simon Rosenbaum reported that the patients who exercised showed greater improvements in symptoms of PTSD, depression, anxiety and stress compared to the other group, while the benefits extended well beyond improved mental health – with weight loss, better sleep among these. Meanwhile, patients who only received usual care gained weight and were more sedentary over the 12-week period.

The encouraging findings from the paper – Exercise augmentation compared with usual care for post-traumatic stress disorder: a randomized controlled trial – could signify a breakthrough in PTSD treatment, while further research is currently underway at the University of California.