Today’s article discusses Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and its implications on the human body. It is essential to understand arthritis since it can become a significant cause of disability. The term arthritis gets its origin from the Greek words arthro, meaning “joint,” and -itis, meaning “inflammation.”
It is a degenerative joint disease affecting the cartilage, joint lining, ligaments, and the bone, leading to pain, swelling, and stiffness of the affected joint. There are two main types of arthritis, mainly osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Few Facts about Rheumatoid Arthritis
RA affects 1-3% of the world’s population. As a result, adult individuals with RA are eight times more likely to have a functional disability than the general population. RA mainly affects people between 30 to 60 years old. In addition, the number of women affected with RA is more than men. Most patients also experience a drop in muscle strength and endurance.
What is Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)?
Rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease, destroys the healthy cells of the tissue by mistake. A client diagnosed with RA experiences inflammation around the joint lining, causing damage to joint tissue. It can also affect other tissues throughout the body and cause problems in organs such as the lungs, heart, and eyes.
Related:
How to Protect Yourself from Recurring Running Injuries and Stay Healthy?
Frozen Shoulder : Risk Factors & Management
Why does an Individual get Rheumatoid Arthritis?
The specific causes of RA are unknown, but some factors can increase the risk of developing the disease. For example, genetic predispositions or environmental triggers lead to an autoimmune response directed against synovial structures and other organs.
How does Rheumatoid Arthritis affect the Body Tissues?
When the joints are affected, the synovium of the joint capsule gets inflamed. As a result of synovitis, all the WBC’s (white blood corpuscles) gather and destroy the joint cartilage and surrounding tissues. This destruction results in synovial erosion and irreversible changes like capsular weakness, tendon rupture, bone erosion, pannus formation, etc. Lastly, as the disease progresses, the inflammation is replaced by fibrosis, and the joint becomes ankylosed with fixed deformities and adhesions.
Which joints are likely to get affected due to Rheumatoid Arthritis?
RA shows its effects throughout the entire body, and the essential complaints are pain, morning stiffness, and fatigue. The commonly affected joints include the wrist, elbows, shoulders, hips, knees, ankles, and metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joints.
Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis
RA does not have an actual cure to date, but the physical therapist (PT) manages the symptoms using combinations of thermotherapy (Heat) and cryotherapy (Ice). Additionally, the patient may continue a training program that works on general fitness components such as strength, endurance, and flexibility. Balance training and aerobics have also been helpful in the case of RA patients.
Program Design Recommendations for Fitness Trainers
The first line of action for a fitness trainer dealing with RA patients should be to call the client’s physical therapist (PT), discuss the case history, and get some advice on the do’s and don’t to help the client on the gym floor. Next, add three to five days per week of aerobic exercises like swimming and cycling that are non-weight-bearing and non-impact at a light to moderate intensity of 40 to 60% of MHR for 20 to 30 minutes.
Next, the coach ensures progressive overload by adding three sessions/week of resistance training exercises for 2 to 3 sets per exercise with 10 to 12 repetitions. Finally, the client should do flexibility and mobility training 3 to 7 days per week with two sets of 5 repetitions per muscle group, held for 20 to 30 seconds.
Client and trainer education plays a vital role in managing this problem. The knowledge gained from education empowers the coach to make better decisions regarding the recommendations given to the client.
We hope you found the article helpful. If yes, kindly show us some support in the comments box below.
Author: Pankaj Narsian, CSCS, INFS Faculty
