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Rheumatoid arthritis pain: 7 ways to protect your joints
Use these joint protection techniques to help you stay in control of your rheumatoid arthritis pain.

By Mayo Clinic staff

Joint protection is one strategy to help you manage your rheumatoid arthritis pain. Taking the time to think ahead and plan ways to avoid unnecessarily stressing your joints may help you reduce your rheumatoid arthritis pain. Arthritic joints can't tolerate as much stress, so pushing, pulling or twisting motions can be painful. Though you may want to work through your rheumatoid arthritis pain, doing so can aggravate the situation.

Joint protection: 7 techniques to manage rheumatoid arthritis pain
To avoid unnecessary joint strain and increased rheumatoid arthritis pain, follow these seven steps.

Step 1: Move each joint through its full pain-free range of motion at least once a day
This will help you maintain freedom of motion in your joints. The amount you're able to move each joint without rheumatoid arthritis pain may vary from day to day — take care not to overdo it. Keep movements slow and gentle — sudden jerking or bouncing can hurt your joints.

Step 2: Learn to understand and respect your rheumatoid arthritis pain
Understand the difference between the general discomfort of rheumatoid arthritis and the pain from overusing a joint. By noting the activity that stressed a joint, you can avoid repeating that movement. Pain that lasts more than an hour after an activity may indicate that the activity was too stressful. Think of ways that you can modify the action. Remember that you're more likely to damage your joints when they're painful and swollen.

Step 3: Be careful how you use your hands
You use your fingers in many day-to-day activities. Stressful positions and techniques may increase the risk of pain. You can perform most tasks in easier ways that put less deforming forces on your joints.

Avoid positions that push your other fingers toward your little finger. For instance, avoid tasks that require forceful or prolonged gripping or pinching. Finger motions should be in the direction of your thumb whenever possible. For example, don't brush crumbs off a table with your palm flat on the table. Instead, turn your hand so that the little finger is resting on the table and the palm is facing you. Then push the crumbs off the table.

Avoid making a tight fist. Use tools with thick or ergonomically designed handles, which make them easier to hold.

Avoid pinching items between your thumb and your fingers. Hold a book, plate or mug in the palms of your hands. If you're reading for long periods, use a book holder. Instead of a clutch-style purse, select one with a shoulder strap.

Step 4: Use good body mechanics
The way you position your body largely affects how much strain you put on your joints. Proper body mechanics allow you to use your body more efficiently and conserve energy.

When you're sitting, the proper height for a work surface is 2 inches below your bent elbow.

Make sure you have good back and foot support when you sit. Your forearms and upper legs should be well supported, resting level with the floor.

If you type at a keyboard for long periods and your chair doesn't have arms, consider using wrist or forearm supports. An angled work surface for reading and writing is easier on your neck.
When you're standing, the height of your work surface should enable you to work comfortably without stooping.

Increase the height of your chair to decrease stress on your hips and knees as you get up and down.

To pick up items from the floor, stoop by bending your knees and hips. Or sit in a chair and bend over.

Carry heavy objects close to your chest, supporting the weight on your forearms.

Maintain good posture. Poor posture causes uneven weight distribution and may strain your ligaments and muscles.

Step 5: Use the strongest joint available for the job
Save your weaker joints for the specific jobs that only they can accomplish. Throughout the day, favor large joints. For example, carry objects with your palm open, distributing the weight equally over your forearm. Slide objects along a counter or workbench rather than lifting them. When opening cabinets or heavy doors, use a loop that you can pull with your wrist or forearm to decrease stress on your fingers.

Step 6: Avoid keeping your joints in the same position for a prolonged period of time
Don't give your joints the chance to become stiff — keep them moving. When writing or doing handwork, release your grip every 10 to 15 minutes, or when your hand feels fatigued. On long car trips, get out of the car, stretch and move around at least every hour. While watching television, get up and move around every half-hour.

Step 7: Balance periods of rest and activity during the day
Effectively managing your workload throughout the day can help you avoid overworked joints. Work at a steady, moderate pace and avoid rushing. Rest before you become fatigued or sore. Alternate light and moderate activities throughout the day. And take periodic stretch breaks.

One step at a time
Remember, you don't have to make all of these changes at once. By gradually incorporating these methods into your day-to-day activities, you're more likely to stick with them.

Keep an open mind about how you do everyday tasks. You might have to change some old habits, but the reward is that your joints may cause you less pain.

from Let's Enjoy This Life

I'm often surprised that people do not consider chiropractic care for hand and wrist pain. We do more than just low back and neck pain. We are taught to address the spine and most other joints of the body including the hand and wrist.

Hand and wrist pain for the sake of this article is not about carpal tunnel syndrome. That is another topic for another day. Besides which, most carpal tunnel syndromes involve the neck. Hand and wrist pain can be independent of the neck.

What are the some of the more common hand and wrist pain cases that a typical chiropractor would treat? For one, overuse or repetitive strain syndromes that can manifest either as hand/wrist or elbow pain. The typical scenarios can be sports injuries, falling and catching oneself with the hand extended, weight lifting or lifting heavy items (such as with a recent move to another house). Even repetitive activities such as knitting, crocheting, computer usage can add to repetitive strain. Massage therapists also are at risk for repetitive strains with the heavy usage of their hands, forearms and elbows.

There's little information about the infrared heated computer mouse, but there's documented evidence of the healing effects of infrared heat. The information below is mostly about infrared saunas, the value of detoxification and the value of infrared for our immune systems.

The infrared warming mouse is made with a carbon fiber, and carbon fibers generate infrared heat. The deep penetrating infrared heated mouse produces a therapuetic experience when used for about 20-30 minutes every day. Do you sit at the computer for 30 minutes every day? Does your mouse hand get cold? Does your hand cramp or feel any pain? Try an infrared heat warming mouse. It relaxes the tension in your hand. It soothes aching muscles.

Warming Up To Far-InfraRed
D.J. Fletcher, Alternative Medicine

For many, the biggest news in FIR [Far-InfraRed] technology is its application to the evolving science of detoxification, and the device being used is the Far-InfraRed sauna. At home and in clinics, these saunas are said to yield many benefits-- including relief from different kinds of pain; stimulation of immune response; improvement in skin tone and conditions such as burns, eczema and acne; and the accelerated burning of calories. But the detox application is health news that can benefit everyone. "Traditional wisdom has suggested that saunas work largely by promoting detoxification through sweat," says John C. Cline, M.D., B.Sc., C.C.F.P, A.B.C.T., Medical Director of the Cline Medical Center and Oceanside Functional Medicine Research Institute, located on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. " Several published studies have now shown that this hyperthermic [sauna] therapy can bring about the rapid removal of a wide range of toxic substances from the human body."

The FIR energy emitted in these saunas may induce two or three times the sweat volume of conventional saunas, yet they operate at a much cooler air temperature range: about 110 to 130 degrees F, compared with 180 to 235 degrees F in a conventional sauna. Many individuals who cannot tolerate a conventional sauna, steam room or sweat lodge will find FIR saunas pleasant. The lower heat range is also safer for those with cardiovascular risk factors or fragile health because lower temperatures don't dramatically elevate heart rate or blood pressure.

Dr. Cline points out that methods to induce sweating have been used for centuries to bring about improved health and relief from disease. "Over 2,000 years ago," he says, "the famous Greek physician, Parmenides, stated 'give me a chance to create fever, and I will cure any disease." This traditional wisdom has certainly stood the test of time. Using methods ranging from hot mineral baths and sweat lodges to saunas and steam baths, individuals have enjoyed the revitalizing effects of induced hyperthermia-- the artificial elevation of body temperature.

"Sweat therapy has also been used for many years by miners in Europe to prevent and treat occupational heavy metal poisoning, and studies have now demonstrated that hyperthermic therapy can bring about significant detoxification from heavy metals including mercury. But only in recent years has science begun to seriously examine this age-old healing technique. Now, organizations such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have taken a serious look at hyperthermic therapy as a means to detoxify individuals who are ill from exposure to environmental poisons."

Randy Gomm of www.infraredsauna.net, based in Vancouver, became a distributor of FIR saunas after his life was turned around by detoxification. As a firefighter, his health had begun to deteriorate until he was no longer able to work. He was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, and eventually it was realized that the root of his problem was toxic overload due to environmental exposure. During the eight years he was ill, he says, he had a lot of time to research alternative modalities to regain his health. "I discovered that leading researchers in fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome stated that their patients had high toxic loads," says Randy. "When their loads were reduced, their symptoms often improved dramatically. It worked for me. Detoxing really helped put me back on my feet."

Environmental medical specialist Doris J. Rapp, MD, of Scottsdale, Arizona, a well-known pediatrician, allergist, homeopath and past president of the American Academy of Environmental Medicine, states unequivocally, "Everybody in this country needs to be detoxified because we've all become toxic dumpsites." Dr. Rapp began using a Far-InfraRed sauna personally after seeing a similar procedure being employed in a German clinic. She was impressed with the clinic's work in detoxifying young children and infants. Dr. Rapp affirms that her FIR sauna causes her to perspire profusely, and she adds, "I'm hoping to see more patient outcome studies on FIR sauna use-- studies that will further evaluate the efficacy of this treatment and impartially evaluate the various saunas."

Hyperthermic detoxification using these saunas is not only uniquely helpful in removing fat-stored toxins from the body but also as an adjunct to mercury removal. Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt, M.D., of Seattle, who has been called "the holistic doctors' doctor and teacher," is one of the pioneers in combining the use of FIR saunas with the chelating agent DMPS in a heavy metal detox protocol.

Dr. Cline explains, "Since hyperthermic sauna therapy removes metal contaminants from the body by a different mechanism than chelation therapy we have found that it may be used to further the benefits derived from chelation therapy. And we have also found that it may be an alternative for those who are unable to undergo chelation.

"Research conducted by U.S. scientists has demonstrated that close to 80% of individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome will improve markedly by a guided detoxification program. The program involves nutritional optimization of detoxification using a low-allergy diet and UltraClear Plus, a medical food product designed at the Functional Medicine Research Center in Washington. This approach, called enterohepatic resuscitation, is being used by healthcare practitioners around the world. We combine this approach with hyperthermic therapy using the Far-InfraRed sauna, as well as exercise and chelation. The results we are seeing are very promising."

Tissue Cleansing & Your Health... “Many of the illnesses facing modern society have strong links to the environment. Cancer rates are rising every year with all fingers pointing at the lifestyles and environment of our population. Diseases virtually unheard of twenty years ago, such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia, now exist in epidemic numbers and these numbers continue to rise with each passing year. Many people wonder why they feel exhausted, their head seems to be in a fog, and they so frequently have to live with pain. The stress of accumulated toxic substances may be a primary factor in the poor health of millions of North Americans. There are now hundreds of thousands of toxic chemicals released into the environment daily. Heavy metals, pesticide and herbicide residues, solvent residues and by-products of fossil fuel combustion can be found in significant measurable quantities in the bodies of virtually every human on this planet. A scientifically based program of therapeutic detoxification can bring about enormous improvements in health, vitality and brain function. This past decade has seen great advancements in the science of therapeutic detoxification and effective programs are being developed worldwide at reputable environmental medicine clinics.

Saunas and steam baths have been used for centuries by cultures around the world to induce detoxification. Traditionally, saunas have been used to improve mental clarity, to diminish pain and promote longevity. In the past few years, Hyperthermic [sweat] therapy has been studied quite extensively and several papers on this subject have appeared in the scientific literature. Through this research, it has been shown that saunas greatly assist in the elimination of accumulated toxins. Toxic metals including mercury, as well as organic toxins such as PCB’s and pesticide residues, are excreted in high quantities in the sweat during properly conducted Hyperthermic therapy sessions.

Heat causes toxins to be released from cells. The toxic molecules will then reside transiently in the lymph fluid. Since sweat is manufactured from the lymph fluid, toxins present in the lymph fluid will exit the body through the sweat. The liver and kidneys are not required for this process thus, these organs are largely unburdened by Hyperthermic therapy, and toxins are able to leave the body even when liver or kidney function is impaired. This may be a distinct advantage for chronically ill patients whose livers and kidneys may already be under toxic stress.”

Advantages of the Far-InfraRed Sauna: “Many people with chronic illnesses find the high temperatures inside a regular sauna or steam room intolerable. In these traditional systems, the inside of the body is heated completely from the surface of the skin. Even though you feel very hot in these units, the heating is quite shallow - only a few millimeters below the skin. In the Far-InfraRed sauna, invisible light rays emanate from several Far-InfraRed emitters. This Far-InfraRed light penetrates deep into the fat and muscles of the body, creating a more powerful detoxifying influence upon the deeper tissues of the body. As well, since the air temperature remains much lower than in a traditional sauna, the individual feels more comfortable. Sweating often begins before the person feels very hot at all and the sweating is more profuse than in a traditional sauna”.