Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis continues – 4th rule for protecting your joints
4. Balance rest and activity
Fatigue is a significant symptom of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), along with joint pain, stiffness and functional impairment. Balancing activity and rest to decrease fatigue (exhaustion) is frequently mentioned by health professionals as an essential strategy in the management of RA.
Once you have worked out your pain threshold (the point at which you start to experience pain), use this as a guide to managing your work and rest breaks. Many people give up an activity if it causes them pain, but it is better to do a little bit at a time with plenty of rest breaks in between rather than not doing something you enjoy at all.
• Rest before you get tired – the most effective method to increase functional endurance is to rest before becoming exhausted.
• Take frequent, short breaks – take a 5 – 10 minute rest during activity.
• Avoid doing activities where you are unable to take a break.
• Avoid staying/keeping joints in one position for a long time.
• Alternate between heavy and light activities.
• Allow extra time for activities to avoid rushing.
• Plan your day ahead of time.
• Cut out activities you do not need to do.
• Organizing your time and tasks can help eliminate steps that strain your joints.
• When writing or doing handwork, release your grip every 10 to 15 minutes, or when your hand feels tired.
• A good night’s sleep is needed for body restoration
• Ask for help and delegate (give to do) activities/tasks to others if possible.
Many and short rest breaks help to balance rest and activity, which helps give your body the energy it needs to get through the activity and the day. Therefore, reduce pain and stress because when your muscles are tired, more stress is put on joints. This will lead to more pain and damage to the joints. To cope with arthritis, you need to manage a balance between rest and pain.
In the next article, we will talk about the 5th rule of protecting your joints, which is to exercise in a pain-free range/zone.
