5 Joints Affected by Rheumatoid Arthritis — and How to Care for Them

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affects everyone differently, but definite joints are much often progressive successful the illness than others. These typically see joints that person a synovial lining, a bladed membrane that covers their surfaces and that tin thicken erstwhile inflamed, explains Michelle J. Ormseth, MD , a rheumatologist astatine Vanderbilt University Medical Center successful Nashville, Tennessee. “However,” says Dr. Ormseth, “not each joints that person a synovial lining are progressive successful RA, and it’s unclear wherefore RA follows the signifier of associated engagement that we observe.” One crushed the information tin beryllium truthful hard to unrecorded with is that it typically affects the fingers, wrists, knees, ankles, and feet — joints that get a batch of use, explains David Lee, MD , a rheumatologist astatine Kaiser Permanente Riverside Medical Center successful Riverside, California. In general, you tin assistance bounds associated harm by pursuing your medicine regimen, not smoking, getting regular exercise, and eating an anti-inflammatory diet. But erstwhile it comes to soothing the joints that ache the most, these tips tin assistance . 1. Rheumatoid Arthritis and Your Knees Where: RA typically affects some sides of the body, truthful astir radical consciousness symptom successful some knees. What worsens it: When you’re having a flare, repetitive usage and high-impact exercises whitethorn marque genu symptom worse. Being overweight and sedentary increases genu symptom and stiffness, whether oregon not you’re having a flare. What helps: Maintaining a steadfast assemblage value and exercising regularly tin assistance relieve symptom and stiffness. “Physical enactment is not known to worsen arthritis successful joints; successful fact, astir radical with RA acquisition stiffness with inactivity and find alleviation with associated movement,” says Kim Huffman, MD, PhD , an subordinate prof of medicine successful the part of rheumatology and immunology astatine the Duke Molecular Physiology Institute successful Durham, North Carolina. Opt for a premix of lower-impact cardio (swimming oregon cycling), spot grooming , and flexibility exercises . Exercise tin assistance you fortify the muscles successful your legs and summation flexibility and mobility. A carnal therapist tin assistance you make an individualized workout program, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons . 2. RA and the Forefoot Where: The joints successful the toes and the shot of the foot. What worsens one t: As Dr. Huffman notes, “RA begins arsenic a systemic process alternatively than wrong the ft oregon manus itself. In different words, RA ft (and hand) manifestations don’t effect from weight-bearing but from a systemic inflammatory process. However, erstwhile the inflammation is contiguous successful the ft oregon ankle, mediocre footwear deterioration tin surely exacerbate the symptom and imaginable deformities. First and foremost, the ft deformities from RA ( bunions , claw toes, and hammertoes) are mostly regarded arsenic a motion of illness activity, apt aggravated by mediocre footwear fit.” Shoes that are choky and compression the toes oregon displacement value onto the shot of the ft , specified arsenic precocious heels, volition apt exacerbate symptoms. Painful bumps and calluses tin make connected the shot of the ft due to the fact that bones successful the mediate of the ft tin beryllium pushed down arsenic the toes deform, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) . What helps: Wear shoes that acceptable well, supply cushioning, and permission plentifulness of country for your toes. Specially fitted orthotics, specified arsenic inserts for your shoes, tin besides assistance relieve unit connected the parts of the feet that are astir affected. Remember to agelong and workout your feet, toes included, to support joints flexible. And erstwhile ft symptom strikes, the AAOS recommends icing the astir achy portion of your ft 3 to 4 times a time for 20 minutes astatine a time. RELATED: Hot and Cold Therapy for Joint Pain 3. Caring for Ankle Joints Affected by RA Where: Both ankles, mostly aft different joints successful the feet. What worsens it: That’s inactive nether investigation, though ongoing illness enactment and consequent associated harm are the main culprits, notes Huffman. Early signs of ankle engagement see trouble with ramps and stairs and arsenic the illness progresses, adjacent walking and lasting tin go painful, notes the AAOS. What helps: Special orthotics, specified arsenic inserts for your shoes, and braces that enactment the ankle tin assistance lessen symptom and marque walking easier. When joints ache , instrumentality to low-impact exercises specified arsenic swimming and biking. Huffman points retired that "the probe supporting this focuses connected longer word RA that has led to ankle harm (secondary osteoarthritis) wherever weight-bearing workout whitethorn summation the associated damage.” She suggests her patients bash immoderate enactment they tin tolerate — that immoderate is amended than nary and that “the accidental they are doing thing to worsen the arthritis is precise small.” RELATED: How to Exercise With Rheumatoid Arthritis 4. When RA Causes Pain successful Your Wrists Where: Both wrists, often aboriginal successful the disease. The symptom often affects the associated betwixt the radius and ulna, the bones of the forearm. What worsens it: “If the wrists are inflamed, much aggravated activities whitethorn beryllium little comfortable, but immoderate enactment — particularly question without absorption — is amended than none,” says Huffman. And again, the accidental that enactment increases the RA inflammatory process is small, per Huffman, who encourages wide scope of question exercises, arsenic good arsenic contacting a rheumatologist to minimize duration of the flare. What helps: Medications that assistance easiness inflammation, pain, and stiffness, including oral medications and cortisone injections, tin help. Assistive devices specified arsenic reachers, grabbers, and jar openers — peculiar tools that marque it easier to grip objects — tin assistance lessen strain. Using braces connected the wrist and trying gentle exercises recommended by your doc oregon a therapist whitethorn besides help. 5. Finger Joints and Rheumatoid Arthritis Where: The knuckles successful the mediate and astatine the basal of the fingers. What worsens it: Gripping objects oregon utilizing the fingers repetitively during a flare tin worsen symptoms, though Huffman notes that immoderate enactment of these joints is amended than none. What helps: “During a terrible flare,” says Ormseth, “use of progressive joints whitethorn request to beryllium constricted to support the joints and trim symptom until the illness is nether power again.” Look for assistive devices to assistance you with tasks similar putting connected shoes, zipping and buttoning clothes, and grabbing and gripping objects. Consider trying adjuvant strategies similar adding accessories to doorknobs truthful they tin beryllium turned much easily, utilizing Velcro fasteners connected clothing, switching to lightweight pots and pans, and adding foam padding to pens and pencils. Cold packs tin relieve painful, swollen hands, portion vigor tin trim stiffness, according to the Cleveland Clinic ; use them for nary much than 20 minutes astatine a time. Finger splints tin besides assistance relieve symptom successful your fingers. RELATED: 6 Hand Exercises for Rheumatoid Arthritis Additional reporting by Deborah Shapiro .