Physical Therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis

What is Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder that occurs when your immune system mistakenly attacks your own body’s tissues. It is a chronic inflammatory disorder that can affect more than just your joints. In some people, the condition can damage a wide variety of body systems, including the skin, eyes, lungs, heart and blood vessels. Unlike osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis affects the lining of your joints and causes a painful swelling that can eventually result in bone erosion and joint deformity.

Clinical Signs and Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Symptoms can include joint swelling and/or redness, joint pain, fatigue, eye and/or mouth dryness, and morning stiffness. Early RA tends to affect your smaller joints first, i.e. your finger and toes.  As the disease progresses, symptoms often spread to other joints and are commonly on the same side of the body. RA signs and symptoms vary in severity and often come and go with periods of flares and relative remission.

Physical Therapy treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis:

• Individuals with rheumatoid arthritis are at risk for decreased flexibility, muscle atrophy, decreased muscle strength and reduced cardiovascular endurance. Therefore, a multifactorial approach utilizing medications and rehabilitative techniques is necessary.
• Relative rest – rest and energy conservation can be helpful for locally inflamed joints, but should be avoided long-term due to the potential deleterious side effects. A Physical Therapist can help you navigate the appropriate amount of relative rest.
• Special focus will be placed on improving joint flexibility and strength of involved joints. However, PT will also work to improve general fitness and encourage regular exercise with a program focused on stretching, strengthening and aerobic conditioning while conserving energy.
• Modalities to assist with pain management including but not limited to TENs, heat/ice, bracing and adaptive equipment.