title: [Rehabilitation therapy according to the disease condition and functional status of the patients with rheumatoid arthritis].
abstract: Rehabilitation for the patients with rheumatoid arthritis(RA), such as exercise therapy, application of splints and patient education, has contributed to the improvement in both impairments and disabilities due to the dysfunction of locomotive systems. Recent progress in drug therapy has influenced the rehabilitation approach toward the RA, because an effective pain management by itself facilitates ease of movement and improves the deteriorated locomotive functions. Early initiation of exercise therapy is reported to prevent a reduction in grip power under the conventional drug-therapy. Moreover, it is also reported that the exercise in addition to the biologics have shown better effects in the functional recovery of upper extremities in comparison with the regimen of biologics alone. While many patients have benefited from the recent advances in drug therapy, several patients still suffer impairments and disabilities without benefits of biologics due to long disease durations before biologics treatment, adverse effects of drugs and financial problems. The suggestions by EULAR, 'treat to target (T2T)' proposed that the goal of RA treatment should be to maximize long-term health-related quality of life through control of symptoms, prevention of structural damage, normalization of function and social participation. This is in the same way of rehabilitation. Though the objectives and methods of rehabilitation vary for individual patients, it should be appropriately prescribed for every individual patient based on evaluation of the patients' disabilities in order to enhance their QOL as well as ADL.
authors: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Division of Comprehensive Medicine, Osaka Medical College.
authors: Haruki
authors: H
authors: Nakano
authors: Kouji
authors: K
authors: Houraiya
authors: Hiroko
authors: H
authors: Tanimura
authors: Ryuichi
authors: R
authors: Saura
mesh_terms: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D006801:Humans; D011788:Quality of Life; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents