What are some good exercises for a person who has RA? She is experiencing pain in her hips and hands.
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Your first contacts need to be with your client’s physician and physical therapist to be certain that she has medical clearance, and for you to get some guidelines regarding activities/exercises she should and should not perform. Because RA has a wide range of physiological and functional impact, a safe, effective program for her may differ from another client with RA. One environment that seems to be broadly appropriate is to have your client perform ROM and light resistance exercises following medical clearance, against the resistance of water in an arthritis pool (temp >90 degrees F.)