The signs of rheumatoid arthritis follow a fluctuating course, increasing and decreasing. Sometimes, exacerbation triggers such as stress, cold, and excessive fatigue can be detected, but most of the time, the cause that exacerbates the disease cannot be found. The unpredictability of this situation can often create difficulties in planning daily life. It may be helpful to inform your family and friends that every day is not the same, and there may be days when you may feel bad due to pain.
Since rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease that goes with pain, the probability of developing depression in people with this disease is slightly higher than in the general population. When you feel psychologically bad and low in morale, it may be helpful to share this with your doctor.
In addition to the routine treatment you are taking for intermittent exacerbations, you can also use pain relievers recommended by your doctor, and apply cold to the area with severe joint complaints as recommended by your doctor. If these exacerbations recur frequently or if you complain of constant pain, you should inform your doctor about this. In this way, the treatment is rearranged.
Exercise
Maintaining the balance of rest and exercise is important for this disease. Although you may feel as if the pain is relieved by resting, stiffness in the joints and weakening of the muscles begin when you do not move. “Isometric exercises” that can be done without moving the joint too much can contribute to you in this case. This type of exercise is done in a stationary position, so that the joint angle and muscle length do not change much. Many Yoga positions are suitable for isometric exercise. With the recommendation of a physiotherapist, these exercises can be tried and the ones that are suitable for you can be determined together.
Exercising is beneficial for cardiovascular health and general health as well as joint and muscle health. If an exercise movement you do causes pain, swelling and temperature increase in the joints, it will be appropriate to stop that movement and rest, forcing the joint with that movement may cause an increase in pain.
Some recommended exercises in Rheumatoid Arthritis are:
Swimming
Walking
Aqua gymnastics
Cycling (If it does not cause complaints in the knees)
Yoga and Tai-Chi
Combat sports (Football, basketball, etc.) where physical contact with the opponent and high-tempo intense exercises (Tennis, Step etc.) are not recommended in RA.
Swimming is one type of exercise that can be particularly beneficial in RA. Since water carries some of your weight, less load is placed on the joints in water exercises and swimming.
If you are going to a gym, it is important that your program is organized by a professional trainer and your situation is clearly explained to this trainer.
The choice of shoes to be worn during sports and in daily life is also important. It is essential to choose good shoes that will absorb the impact and shock that will be reflected on the soles.
Nutrition:
Although there is no special diet that will completely cure Rheumatoid Arthritis, there is information that some diets may be beneficial for some patients.
It is recommended to consume less saturated fats in diet, and to consume high amounts of unsaturated fats (eg fatty fish), especially omega-3 fatty acids. If it is thought that you cannot get enough omega-3s with your diet, your doctor may also give this vitamin as a tablet for external support. Increasing your vitamin C intake may also contribute.
In some studies, although the reason is not clear, it has been reported that a strict vegetarian diet causes a decrease in RA findings. Those who consumed large amounts of red meat appeared to have a slightly increased lifetime probability of developing RA. Before starting any solid diet, it will be useful to discuss the possible advantages and disadvantages of these diets with your doctor and dietitian, who are following you, in order to get an opinion.
It is recommended not to gain weight in order to maintain a healthy weight and not put more strain on the joints.
Rarely, some RA patients say that certain foods aggravate their symptoms. Such a situation is rare and differs from person to person. If you think a food increases your RA symptoms, do not consume that food for at least a month. If the symptoms really increase when you start consuming it again, it means you have a sensitivity to this food and this food should not be consumed at all from now on.
Complementary Medicine:
Although many people use many different complementary medicine methods and medicines, there are only a few scientifically proven practices among them. For example, few studies have found that “Evening Primrose Oil” can be effective. Likewise, it is thought that acupuncture can provide positive effects.
When using complementary medicine methods and medicines, it is useful to consider the possibility of interaction with your current medicines and to get the opinion of the Rheumatology Specialist who is following you. The fact that the people who apply complementary medicine methods are also medical doctors who have been trained in the relevant subject and can document this training will minimize the risks you may encounter.
Pregnancy:
It is okay for individuals with rheumatoid arthritis to become pregnant. However, when a pregnancy plan is made for both the mother and the father, this should be reported to the Rheumatology Specialist following you. Because some drugs used in RA can make it difficult to get pregnant, and some more risky drugs can cause problems in the baby. For this reason, it may be necessary to stop some medications 3-6 months before the pregnancy plan, with the recommendation of your doctor.
Most women’s illness subsides during pregnancy and their need for medication decreases. However, it should be known that many women may experience exacerbations of RA immediately after delivery.
The use of birth control pills does not pose an additional risk to women with RA than other women
