Table 2.

Changes of BASDAI, pain VAS scores, and Morning stiffness-VAS scores

	wIRA group (n = 120)	Control group (n = 120)	Difference d	t-statistic	P value	95% CI
BASDAI
Before T*	8.33 ± 0.71	8.36 ± 0.74	− 0.04 ± 0.35	− 0.632	0.531	− 0.15~0.08
After T	7.65 ± 0.65	7.90 ± 0.62	− 0.26 ± 0.56	− 2.907	0.000	− 0.44~− 0.08
Difference d	0.68 ± 0.46	0.45 ± 0.49	–	0.35 ± 0.50	–	–
95% CI	0.53~0.83	0.30~0.61	–	0.24–0.47	–	–
P value	0.000	0.000	–	0.000	–	–
Pain VAS scores
Before T	8.85 ± 0.48	8.82 ± 0.45	0.03 ± 0.34	0.605	0.549	− 0.08~0.14
After T	7.30 ± 0.65	7.77 ± 0.46	− 0.46 ± 0.54	− 5.436	0.000	− 0.63~− 0.29
Difference d	1.55 ± 0.49	1.05 ± 0.35	–	0.27 ± 0.48	–	–
95% CI	1.39~1.70	0.94~1.16	–	0.16–0.37	–	–
P value	0.000	0.000	–	0.000	–	–
Morning stiffness VAS scores
Before T	8.81 ± 0.46	8.75 ± 0.50	0.06 ± 0.37	1.071	0.291	− 0.06~0.18
After T	7.26 ± 0.59	7.80 ± 0.55	− 0.54 ± 0.55	− 6.205	0.000	− 0.72~− 0.36
Difference d	1.55 ± 0.50	0.95 ± 0.35	–	0.28 ± 0.50	–	–
95% CI	1.38~1.71	0.83~1.06	–	0.17–0.39	–	–
P value	0.000	0.000	–	0.000	–	–

T treatment, BASDAI bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index, VAS visual analogue scale, CI confidence interval

*Before treatment: wIRA treatment (before the start of the first stage of treatment regimen A and before the start of the second stage of treatment regimen A); control group (before the start of the first stage of treatment regimen B and before the start of the second stage of treatment regimen A). After treatment: values before the corresponding treatment regimen and after the corresponding treatment regimen