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When I saw that we would be talking about RA in class I started looking into it more. My sister who is only 20, was told by her doctor that she may have RA and they are currently doing further testing. At first I thought "there's no way" shes only 20! But then I did some research and found this article. RA is actually fairly common in young adults, especially women. More specifically, there is a 1 in 714 chance for a woman in her 20s to develop RA. This article goes into more detail about these statistics and the cause.

I read in a Health magazine just last night that taking or if you have taken birth control pills, it helps guard against RA.

Although not curable, RA symptoms can be alleviated by the same relaxation and breathing techniques we have already learned. Cold and warm compresses can be used to help with inflammation and pain. Mind/body therapies have been shown to be of great help to those with RA. Progressive muscle relaxation, visualization, meditation, and biofeedback are all good techniques to teach our clients when traditional medications are not enough. Also, these techniques can be used in many other areas.

This is very good website about Rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It is very easy to follow the description about the disease, symptoms and treatments. From the website I found out that cigarettes participants in more risk to develop RA. The website provides knowledge about alternative methods of treating RA such as (hot packs/cold packs, etc). Different types of exercise like swimming, biking, walking, yoga, tai chi can improving mobility. Author of the website writes about natural supplements such as Fish oil that may slow down deformities associated with disease.

This article talks about the social and economical impact of RA on our society. It speaks about things like accumulating medical bills combined with lost wages and its impact on the overall economy. I find this interesting because it shows how wide of an impact we can make in OT if we are to promote more and help bring a lot of these numbers down.

Videos with people and their experience with OT for RA

This webpage gives examples of exercises that can be used while avoiding contraindications for patients with RA.

I found this study on the AJOT archives, its an old study but I just found it interesting in talking about the difference they saw in soft vs hard splints for RA patients. The overall preference for patients were the soft splints.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of static resting splints in an early RA population. The study hypothesis was that there would be a difference in the change of hand function after 12 months in patients with early RA who received standardized occupational therapy plus static resting splints compared with standardized occupational therapy alone.

This video includes a woman with RA. It shows her hands and she talks about things she's done to try to control the RA. It also gives other basic information about treatments.

We have been debating a lot lately if it is okay to use heat with patients who have RA or not. I have found several articles on the subject, none indicating that you can NEVER use heat. This article does state that heat shouldn't be used when inflammation is already present but that heat is okay if the patient is not swollen, has extreme stiffness, and is in pain. The article talks about other techniques to try such as cold therapy and compression.

Great info and easy to read!

Just read lastnight that birth control pills can helpf RA. If so, that is another addes benefit other than birth control!

Yet another benefit of taking fish oil. It tends to help with RA and has added health benefits from way back in the olden days. Even at my age I am taking my fish oil daily! Last semester we learned it helped ward off effects of dementia also.

You can still accomplish your goals. This is proof!!!!

This site by the Mayo Clinic offers an easy guide for treatments choices and available medications along with the possible side effects.

I feel this gives a good overview of some of the things that we addressed in class which could be helpful to us and our patients.

This video is a doctor talking about the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, as well as some of the medications that are taken to help relieve the pain of RA.

This short video shows simple, but effective ways to successfully protect one's hand joints. The ideas shown in this video could be helpful for anyone, however, while watching this video I specifically thought of people who have JRA/RA. These compensatory strategies could allow a person to have their independence longer. Furthermore, I always love to be educated on easier ways of doing activities and in the video it shows ideas for using a shelf liner. I believe this video is fantastic for supporting safe ways of doing one's ADL/IADL's.

This video gives a lot of good ideas for protecting your hand joints. I've noticed that going to the grocery store requires a lot of pushing, pulling, lifting, and manipulating with the wrists, hands, and fingers. My hands are really small, and I've started to pay more attention to what I'm asking them to do. Like, when opening a door, I use more of my body to push it open then just ramming my hand on the push bar.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disorder for which there is no known cure. Fortunately in the last few years, a shift in strategy toward the earlier institution of disease modifying drugs and the availability of new classes of medications have greatly improved the outcomes that can be expected by most patients.