Living with rheumatoid arthritis can
mean living with chronic pain, fatigue, and joint stiffness. Thousands of
people have benefited from developing and following plans to help them manage
their symptoms. You and your health professional can develop a medical
treatment plan that may include medication and other therapies. Early medical
treatment can help you avoid disabling joint changes and chronic pain.
Besides following your medical treatment plan, there are several steps
you can take to maintain your normal life and activities. This is often called
self-management. The first steps include:
Learning as much as you can about rheumatoid
arthritis.
Learning ways to reduce joint pain, fatigue, and
stiffness.
Taking an active role in managing your rheumatoid
arthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis is going to be big
part of your life, perhaps for years—perhaps for the rest of your life. If you
become involved in the day-to-day management of your health, you stand a better
chance of maintaining the activities that fill your life. If you take on this
job the same way you would take on a new career position, knowing it will
require daily learning and practicing and that there will be setbacks as well
as successes, you are on your way to managing your rheumatoid arthritis.
Knowing what you will physically be able to do
tomorrow, next year, and beyond, starts with learning what rheumatoid arthritis
is and what is happening inside your body.
The next step is
learning what you can do and what your limits are.
The third step
is forming and following a self-management plan for your life.
Test Your Knowledge
An important step in my management plan for rheumatoid
arthritis is learning as much as possible about the disease and what it
does.
Early medication-based
treatment for rheumatoid arthritis may limit joint damage and help you to avoid
permanent disability. However, even with that successful outcome, the disease
may be active for years. During that time, and in the periods of time when the
disease is not active (in remission), you will want to continue with the
activities that make life complete. An effective treatment plan should include
both exercise and creative ways to get projects done as an important part of
your daily routine.
Test Your Knowledge
Having rheumatoid arthritis means that I have to stop
doing aerobics, cleaning house, or other active routines.
Learn about your body and what is happening to
it with rheumatoid arthritis.
Learn about your health
professionals, the recommended medications, and what they can do for
you.
Find out what can improve your health, such as losing weight
or starting a flexibility
exercise program.
Learn how to cope with chronic pain, fatigue, and stiffness:
Experiment and learn what can help you feel
better and what makes things worse. Some people can write without pain while
others can't, and the same goes for walking, aerobics, etc.
Learn
basic skills, such as ways to use your body that protect stiff areas, that will
help you continue activities.
Explore the use of splints, canes,
and other
assistive devices that can help you avoid discomfort
while staying active.
Take an active role in managing your arthritis:
Gather information about rheumatoid arthritis
and the steps you can take to stay active.
Work with your team of
health professionals, friends, and family to set up a self-management
plan.
Set goals to practice your coping and strengthening skills
and incorporate these goals into your life.
Follow through with
your self-management plan on a day-to-day basis.
Test Your Knowledge
Various routines, assistive devices, and flexibility
exercises have been developed to help people with rheumatoid arthritis cope
with pain and stiffness.
To learn more about how to set
up a self-management plan for rheumatoid arthritis, contact your health
professional.
For more information on arthritis self-management plans,
the following resources are available:
Book
The Arthritis Helpbook: A Tested Self-Management Program for Coping with Arthritis and Fibromyalgia
Author/Editor:
K. Lorig, RN, DPH J.F. Fries, MD
Publisher:
Addison-Wesley Publishing Company
Publication Date:
1995
The Arthritis Helpbook has been used by
thousands of people to help them achieve their own health goals. The book
includes proven techniques to reduce pain and increase dexterity, tips for good
diets and achieving and maintaining healthy weight, step-by-step exercise
programs, detailed information on assistive devices, and advice to help people
overcome fatigue and other symptoms related to having chronic arthritis.
Organization
Arthritis Foundation
1330 West Peachtree Street
Suite 100
Atlanta, GA 30309
Phone:
1-800-283-7800
Web Address:
www.arthritis.org
The Arthritis Foundation provides grants to help find a cure,
prevention methods, and better treatment options for arthritis. It also
provides a large number of community-based services nationwide to make living
with arthritis easier, including self-help courses; water- and land-based
exercise classes; support groups; home study groups; instructional videotapes;
public forums; free educational brochures and booklets; the national, bimonthly
consumer magazine Arthritis Today; and continuing
education courses and publications for health professionals.
Learning about rheumatoid arthritis is an
important step in developing a management plan that can work for you.
False
This answer is incorrect.
Learning about rheumatoid arthritis is an
important step in developing a management plan that can work for you.
True
This answer is incorrect.
Having rheumatoid arthritis does not have to
mean that physical activities have to stop. Developing and following a
self-management plan that keeps you moving every day is the best way to stay in
charge of your health and life.
False
This answer is correct.
Having rheumatoid arthritis does not have to
mean that physical activities have to stop. Developing and following a
self-management plan that keeps you moving every day is the best way to stay in
charge of your health and life.
True
This answer is correct.
Learning basic skills—such as ways to use your
body that protect stiff areas—will help you continue activities, and exploring
the use of splints, canes, and other mechanical aids can help you avoid
discomfort.
False
This answer is incorrect.
Learning basic skills—such as ways to use your
body that protect stiff areas—will help you continue activities, and exploring
the use of splints, canes, and other mechanical aids can help you avoid
discomfort.
This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
