Essay Sample: Physical Activity Effect in Managing Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms

Rheumatoid Arthritis is a condition that affects not just the joints but more body parts. It is a chronic inflammatory disorder. In certain individuals, the disorder tends to damage various body parts like the eyes, blood vessels, skin, and heart. Its occurrence is when an individual's immune scheme attacks the tissues of the body. Unlike osteoarthritis which results in wear-and-tear damage, rheumatoid arthritis destroys the joint lining, resulting in painful swelling. The joint then results in joint deformity and bone erosion. The inflammation that is a result of rheumatoid arthritis is what causes damage to various body parts and not just the joints. Even though there has been development and discovery of new medication types, serious rheumatoid arthritis can lead to physical disabilities (Verhoeven et al., 2016). This paper will focus on how physical activity will affect the management of rheumatoid arthritis symptoms.

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The first thing that helps an individual discover they have a certain condition is the symptoms and signs. Some of the symptoms and signs of rheumatoid arthritis are stiffness of the joints that are worse during the morning hours due to lack of activity and swelling. Tender and warm joints. Also, lack of appetite, fatigue, and fever are symptoms. Early rheumatoid arthritis, most of the time, affects the smaller joints (Van Zanten et al., 2015). These joints attach the hands to the fingers and feet to the toes as the condition exceeds that when the symptoms and signs transfer to the ankles, wrists, elbows, ankles, and shoulders. However, about half of the people with the disorder experience symptoms and signs that are not related to the joints. The disease can also affect structures that are non-joint like eyes, heart, skin, and kidneys; these are but a few. However, the symptoms and signs of this disease tend to vary in severity, and at times they might appear and disappear.

The disease occurs when an individual's immune system tends to attack the synovium. Synovium is the membrane lining that surrounds the joints. The inflammation causes thickening of the synovium, which destroys the joint bone and cartilage. The ligaments and tendons holding the joints stretch and weaken, and in turn, the joint loses its ligament and shape (Knittle et al., 2015). Due to the disease being a serious condition, some remedies prevent rheumatoid arthritis. Some of these treatment options are medications such as immunosuppressive drugs, therapy, and lifestyle drugs. However, the main focus is physical activity.

Physical exercise has many benefits for a person who has rheumatoid arthritis. First and foremost, it assists in improving fitness and health without causing more pain to the joints. It strengthens the joints and muscles and maintains the strength of the bones. Also, it enhances a person's balance and life quality. Moreover, physical activity helps control body weight and increases a person's energy during the day. However, most individuals tend to think that exercise can increase joint pain; however, the opposite is true (Katz et al., 2018). Individuals with rheumatoid arthritis cannot just do every exercise. The first group of exercises that is beneficial to them is the range-of-motion ones. They relieve stiffness and enhance an individual's ability to move their joints in a range of motion. They entail movements such as lifting the arms overhead or shoulder rolling backward and forward. The second group is strengthening exercises. They assist in building strong muscles that protect and support the joints. An example of such an exercise is weight training which increases the strength of the muscle. However, an individual should have a rest after every two days of exercising.

The third group is the aerobic exercises. The significance of these exercises is that they will help with overall fitness. They enhance cardiovascular health, control weight, and give more energy and stamina. Some examples of these exercises that are easy on the joints are swimming, an elliptical machine, bicycling, and walking. It is effective when an individual does these exercises for 150 minutes every week (Feldthusen et al., 2016). However, the most effective one is moderate aerobic exercise. Other activities are effective for a patient who has rheumatoid arthritis. No matter how small the activity is, it can minimize the pain by minimizing the symptoms and signs. Some of these exercises are taichi or yoga, aiming to prevent falls, improve balance and posture, and promote relaxation. However, people tend to experience falls when doing exercises, but there are tips that a person can consider when exercising. These tips are applying heat, keeping the impact low, going slowly, and moving gently. After the exercises, an individual can ice the joints when they are in pain.

Conclusion

In conclusion, rheumatoid arthritis is not a permanent condition; hence someone can use medication and therapy. Also, using physical activity is useful in minimizing the symptoms and signs of the disorder. Some of the exercises' benefits are providing form posture, and strengthening the bone structures, and joint muscles. Thus, it is essential for people with the disorder to embrace a healthy lifestyle and exercise. Even those who do not have the problem can exercise to prevent obesity which causes weak immunity, resulting in rheumatoid arthritis.

References

Feldthusen, C., Dean, E., Forsblad-d'Elia, H., & Mannerkorpi, K. (2016). Effects of person-centered physical therapy on fatigue-related variables in persons with rheumatoid arthritis: a randomized controlled trial. Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation, 97(1), 26-36. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003999315012447

Katz, P., Margaretten, M., Gregorich, S., & Trupin, L. (2018). Physical activity to reduce fatigue in rheumatoid arthritis: a randomized controlled trial. Arthritis care & research, 70(1), 1-10. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/acr.23230

Knittle, K., De Gucht, V., Hurkmans, E., Peeters, A., Ronday, K., Maes, S., & Vlieland, T. V. (2015). Targeting motivation and self-regulation to increase physical activity among patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a randomized controlled trial. Clinical rheumatology, 34(2), 231-238. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10067-013-2425-x

Van Zanten, J. J. V., Rouse, P. C., Hale, E. D., Ntoumanis, N., Metsios, G. S., Duda, J. L., & Kitas, G. D. (2015). Perceived barriers, facilitators and benefits for regular physical activity and exercise in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a review of the literature. Sports medicine, 45(10), 1401-1412. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-015-0363-2

Verhoeven, F., Tordi, N., Prati, C., Demougeot, C., Mougin, F., & Wendling, D. (2016). Physical activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Joint Bone Spine, 83(3), 265-270. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1297319X15002390