Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, or juvenile idiopathic arthritis, affects approximately 50,000 children in the United States, according to the KidsHealth from Nemours website. Children are encouraged to exercise as part of a treatment program to help with the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, such as inflammation and pain. In addition, exercise helps maximize joint and body functions. Exercising is not a substitute for medical treatment, however; consult with your health-care provider to discuss any potential risks.
Range of Motion
These exercises help relieve stiffness while increasing flexibility in the joints. Stretching or flexibility exercises help straighten and bend the affected joints while staying within your pain threshold, or comfort zone. Each session will progressively increase the stretching until normal or near-normal range is achieved. A study done in 1987 by the Department of Occupational Therapy at the University of Florida in Gainesville concluded that occupational therapy programs that use range-of-motion therapy exercises will help by preventing joint immobility caused by inflammation, pain and joint stiffness.
Strengthening
These exercises help increase muscle strength while keeping your joints stable, according to the University of Washington School of Medicine. In strengthening exercises, isometric and isotonic are the common types used if you have rheumatoid arthritis. Isometric exercises help tighten your muscles without joint movement; isotonic exercises help strengthen muscles and include joint movement to help prevent tightening.
Aquatherapy
Exercising in the water, or aquatherapy, helps relax muscles, relieves pain from the reduction of body weight on your joints and provides a form of resistance training. According to the Cleveland Clinic, exercising your arms and legs in the water allows you to move your limbs more freely while performing range-of-motion exercises. In addition, swimming helps build endurance.
Endurance
Walking, jogging, riding a bicycle or aerobics are endurance exercises that can help increase muscle strength and range of motion in your joints by working on the larger muscle groups. Under the guidance of a health-care professional, endurance exercises should be done three times per week for 15-minute intervals to start. Gradually increase them to 30-minute intervals daily while including a five- to 10-minute warm-up and cool-down period.
Recreational exercises work in combination with therapeutic exercises to encourage physical exercise and develop confidence, according to the Arthritis Foundation. However, aggressive sports such as football, basketball and soccer might increase the risk of serious injury and are not advisable.
References
- Kids Health from Nemours: Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis
- PubMed: The Efficacy of the ROM Dance Program for Adults with Rheumatoid Arthritis
- University of Washington, School of Medicine: Exercise and Arthritis
- Cleveland Clinic: Occupational and Physical Therapy for Arthritis
- Arthritis Foundation: Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis—Treatment Options
