Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, systemic autoimmune disease that may affect many tissues and organs, but principally attacks flexible joints. Autoimmune diseases occur when body’s immune system mistakenly starts attacking body’s own tissues.

Rheumatoid arthritis generally develops over a period of time, but some patients do experience sudden onset of symptoms: one day they are perfectly healthy and the next they are dealing with rheumatoid arthritis. Symptoms commonly associated with rheumatoid arthritis include:

� Joint pain, joint swelling, joint stiffness, and warmth around the affected joint

� Morning stiffness that lasts one or more hours

� Symmetrical pattern of affected joints, meaning the same joint on both sides of the body is affected
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� Small joints of the hands and feet are characteristically involved, although any joint can be affected

� Rheumatoid nodules or firm lumps under the skin, found on elbows and hands of about one-fifth of rheumatoid arthritis patients

� Fatigue and noticeable loss of energy

� Low grade fevers and sometimes flu-like symptoms

� Loss of appetite, weight loss, anemia associated with chronic diseases, depression

� Dry eyes and dry mouth associated with a secondary condition Sjogren's syndrome

� Joint deformity and instability from damage to cartilage, tendons, ligaments, and bone

� Limited range of motion in affected joints

� Flares and remission of disease activity is characteristic of rheumatoid arthritis.

Consult a good physiotherapist if you start seeing any of these symptoms. As there is no such curative therapy for rheumatoid arthritis patients are subjected to lifelong treatment methods. Out of all Physiotherapy treatment is the best one, in which patient is relieved of joint pain and muscle stiffness, non-surgically. A physiotherapist can help the patient in many ways:

� Physiotherapists work to reduce inflammation and pain, maintain joint ranges of motion and maintain and increase muscle strength.

� They may teach patients the principles of joint protection in functional activities, suggest aids to daily living, make resting splints for inflamed joints and advise on adaptations to a patient’s home.

� Exercises like aerobic exercises, such as biking, swimming and walking, can help decrease the inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis; flexibility exercise can help to alleviate joint pain; Strengthening exercise will strengthen the muscles surrounding your affected joints can provide stability and may help ease your symptoms.

� In some patients with chronic pain, therapeutic massage reduces symptoms.

� In physiotherapy Motivation and encouragement really helps one to get better. While "low-tech," it's hard to overestimate the value of having someone in your corner cheering you on-and pushing you to do better.

� Physiotherapist treat inflamed or painful joints with heat or ice packs that help some people feel better.

These are some of the ways used by a physiotherapist in helping and curing rheumatoid arthritis.