Protective Effect of Traumatic Lesions on Rheumatoid Arthritis

Joint Protection: A Critical Review

“…Callahan and Pincus 53 may have provided a rationale for patient education (in the widest sense) for the individual with RA. They studied 385 patients and found the poorest results in patients of a lower formal education level, and progressively better results in those with a high school education, high school graduates, British Journal of Occupational Therapy, December 1991, 54 (12) and those with some college education, but no differences in those who had attended college or graduated or were postgraduates. 53 If this finding is reproducible in the UK, it has implications for the teaching of joint protection techniques; it suggests a need for more teaching input for low academic achievers, if only because these are the patients who are likely to be the most severely affected by the disease.…”

“…corderyi publicised the idea that external and internal stresses and their direction influenced the development of British Journal of Occupational Therapy, December 1991, 54 (12) deformities in joints. Her advice to minimise these potentially deforming forces in the hands was as follows.t (a) Maintain range of movement of shoulder, elbow, forearm and wrist because hand function depends on these joints (b) Maintain coordination and balance of intrinsic and extrinsic muscles (c) Avoid strain on the collateral ligaments by enlarging the handles of objects (d) Avoid ulnar pressure at the MCP joints; avoid lateral pressure at interphalangeal joints; and avoid abduction of the thumb phalanges.…”

“…British Journal of Occupational Therapy, December 1991, 54 (12) Therapists encourage patients to be aware of posture during rest, sitting and standing. General advice on maintaining a good posture during activities is well documented.ll, 18,19 No research specifically on posture to support the benefits of this advice was found.…”

Effect of exercise on urate crystal‐induced inflammation in canine joints

“…There are, however, several pieces of information, including Nature's experiments, that support the importance of ,joint motion in increasing the severity of chronic arthritides. Thompson and Bywaters (19), Click ( 2 0 ) , B l a n d a n d E ddy (21), Kamermann (22) and others have reported less severe joint disease in extremities afflicted with various neurologic deficits in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Most authors felt that it is the relative disuse of the affected limb which seems to protect it, rather than any neurologic mechanism.…”

Unilateral rheumatoid arthritis

“…In addition, Dupuytren's contracture may be associated with alcoholic liver disease (4), and a relationship between HLABw40 and alcoholic liver cirrhosis has been reported (5).…”