Sadly, the answer is yes. I didn't know I had RA, and kept "pushing through the pain." My feet were terribly damaged. My husband made me pick rocks, and I ended up with bunions on both thumbs in a matter of days. It has something to do with the fluid on the joint makes the joint more mobile, once it moves, you are stuck with it. Sigh!

This is only during an active flare. If the flare is over, then you are ok. i exercise daily - stretches, weights and cycling, but not till I got the RA under control with a DMARD and biologic.

I didn't really know the answer to this question but Angela seems to have nailed it from experience. Sorry both of you are dealing with this type of problem from RA-thankfully so far so good for me. All the best to you in stopping the progression.

According to my RD if the biologics are working the deformities should be held in check. I only mention this because on my last RD visit my doctor noticed my hands visibly changing and she was concerned as to the why? She said this shouldn't be happe3ning if the biologic had things under control. Then she added that if I had been unduly stressed ( which I have) that may be the culprit.

I have always been encouraged to excercise and work thru the pain. With that said my RD has told me if it hurts...stop! Do I listen, not usually.

I refuse to let this nasty disease rob me of my life. Therefore, I cycle a lot of mental energy into working thru the pain. Yes, some days it just gets the better of me and brings me to tears, but most days I refuse to quit to live life as normal as possible.

Like Angela I excercise, and like Angela my feet are the most problematic, but Ido what I need to do for me.

I think the best answer to this question is to ask yourself: "what are you willing to give up that you love?" The answer for me is nothing! marcia

Thank you for your replies. I had a feeling using hands that are swollen and in pain can't be good : (
I don't see my RD for 3 more weeks. See what she has to say then. I just can't figure out how to live my life the way I want to / need to without using my painful hands (fingers, palms and wrists included). I don't want to slow down, as I'm sure none of us do. After one year I thought my mind would be at a better place by now. Obviously I'm having a very blue day.................Rose

Sorry this is happening. My hands used to be very bad, before my biologic - it is like you are not living, when you can't use your hands. You can't even make a meal, because you can't open jars, or push down a knife to cut veggies. I really hope your meds kick in soon.

I did not want to give up my life - but RA forced me to! So I fought back, and have most of it back - except for the voice, and the deformities. I will not give up, unless I am on my death bed.

Like Angela my hands were swollen and useless prior to getting on the Orencia. Even though the swelling and pain have diminished I am left with ugly semi deformed hands that have lost most of their muscle tone. So even though I am feeling much better my hands still cannot do alot of what I tell them to.

When you see your rheumy ask about seeing an occupational therapist. I was sent to one to evaluate what I already knew. Unfortunately I didn't follow up with her as I should have.

Don't be discouraged. Keep telling yourself you re4fuse to succumb to this beast. If you do there will actually be days, even weeks or months that you actually can. marcia

Hmmmm. I'm not sure I'm comepletely comfortable with all the answers, but that could very well just be my ignorance. I'll do some research.

My experience has been different. I had RA for over 2 years before taking a biologic. My hands and feet were swollen and painful for most of that time, to some degree, and I was doing as much as I could to stay active. My right pinky became slightly deformed early on, and has worsened slighly and slowly over the next 3 years, but nothing else, except perhaps my left great toe, which has become enlarged. My RD long ago said it was OA, and it's hurt terribly at times, after long hikes, sort of like I've heard gout pain described. It responds quickly to a NSAID that's used for gout - Indocin.

Have you had a chance to ask your rheumatologist, Rose? I don't want to mislead you, so I defer to the others. I will do some research, however, and ask my doc when I get a chance.

Good luck.

Hi Rosemo!

Personally, I believe it's a fine line between using a swollen joint or not using a swollen joint. Exercise does decrease inflammation. BUT if the inflammation is too severe to even move the joint, then you can increase the chance of damage due to swollen tendons, muscles and ligaments.

It has been said that gardening is actually good for arthritis. But I think this all depends on what you're doing exactly....

I would say a more specific plan for helping your hands would be to work with clay or putty or something similar.a

I had a chiropractor who had a patient who had carpel tunnel. He was also blind, but that's besides the point. He decided to use those metal balls that you work your hands out with. You put two in each hand and twirl them around. It's hard to describe. Anyway, after several weeks of doing this non-stop, his carpel tunnel was gone, according to the story.

I have a left forearm that used to be like pop-eye's. It was hard as a rock and very swollen. No medication seemed to help. So I took it upon my own to ice it at work, all day long. The pain of icing it was excruciating BUT, before long, the swelling was down. When I saw my rhuemy during that time, he was pleasantly surprised and told me to keep up the icing.

Often times, the hand that's not being used the most is the one that's more swollen. With my knees I was also able to decrease the inflammation completely by exercise.

I had read that your muscles act as a natural brace for your joints which is why it's so important to exercise when you have RA. At that time, I would take forever to walk up a flight of stairs. Actually down the stairs was even worse. I decided right then and there, that I had to do something and medication wasn't acting fast enough. I started going to the gym and exercising my ankles and knees. At first, my knees would pop with every leg lift. After a week of continually doing leg lifts at the gym, using a machine, the popping stopped! And soon after, for most of my days, I could easily walk up and down stairs. And nowadays, I have no issues at all with stairs unless I'm in an unusually bad flare which almost never happens. I have not fixed my hands and wrists because I simply haven't been diligent. I have not bought clay. I do have the round balls and keep them at my desk but never seem to remember to use them. So unfortunately, I cannot give you any specific advice. I will say though, perhaps this phrase applies to RA: "Use it or lose it!"
gentle hugs,
sarah

Hi - I have a similar problem with my middle knuckle but it varies from day to day. Did see physio therapist and the exercises were helping get strength back but had setback after warm wax bath which seemed initially to really help but then major flare up and swelling. It cant hurt to do exercises - subject to pain warnings. I was told to start with playdough (do you call it this - made from flour, oil and water with salt for kiddies to play with - I used to make it for mine). Pushing fingers in and manipulating. Plus other hand exercises (making a bird shape, touching and 'walking' fingers etc) I am back a couple of stages after the wax bath fiasco and havent been as diligent while away for ten days and waiting for that flare to settle but at least not wearing hand support at the moment. Good luck. We dont know our outcomes but look at what some people have achieved with perseverance.

I use those little balls that Sarah talked about and I have found that they work wonders. When my hands start stiffening up, I use them and things loosen up again. I also have found that my swimming pool is a godsend. I'm on a little flotation device, but I still have most of my legs (from the knees down), hips and arms underwater so I do this combination float, kick, swim thing.I'm getting some exercise, but there is no pressure on the joints so there is no pain. It's so great to be in the pool moving around and having little or no pain! If you are near a public pool or community center, give it a try!