How important is exercise in rheumatoid arthritis

margot · Newbie Joined: 12 Mar 2005 Posts: 12

Hi, I am a thirty seven years old woman. Few weeks ago I started having pain in joints of my arms. Since it did not fade, I paid a visit to the doctor. He diagnosed me with rheumatoid arthritis. The doctor prescribed me some medicine but the symptoms are still here. A friend of mine suggested me to start exercising. How important is exercise in rheumatoid arthritis?

blayne · Gold Member Joined: 08 Jun 2005 Posts: 490

Hi, the common symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are the pain and the stiffness of the joints. This illness sometimes goes away in a couple of months and does not leave any damage to the joints. However, there are severe cases of rheumatoid arthritis when significant damage to the joints is done and can last entire life. This is an autoimmune illness, meaning it is produced by our immune system that recognizes the tissue of our body as an "enemy" and acts against it. This produces the inflammation which is responsible for the pain. You should not listen to your friend. When having this condition it is very important to have a balance between rest and exercise. If rheumatoid arthritis is active, more rest is needed so that the joints could recover. When the illness is not active, more exercises are suitable. You should talk to your doctor about everything that concerns you and follow his orders. Exercises are important, but you shouldn't do anything on your on.

How important is exercise in rheumatoid arthritis

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