Abstract
Arthritis is a chronic disease characterized by inflammation of one or more joints. The most common symptom of arthritis is pain, and 15 million adults with arthritis report experiencing severe pain from their arthritis in the United States. Joint protection is a self-management intervention which involves adapting activities and movement patterns in order to reduce the amount of force placed on joints affected by arthritis. The goal of joint protection is to reduce pain and prevent damage in the affected joints of individuals with arthritis, leading to increased participation and independence. The purpose of this critically appraised topic (CAT) was to understand the effectiveness of joint protection strategies in reducing pain for adults with arthritis. Study results demonstrated that joint protection is effective at reducing pain in adults with arthritis when used as a mid-term (5-8 months) or long-term (12 months) intervention, but not when it is used as a short-term intervention (3 months). Education on joint protection strategies can increase patient’s joint protection behaviors. Joint protection can be included as a reimbursable self-management approach to managing pain for patients with arthritis in home health, outpatient rehabilitation, inpatient rehabilitation, sub-acute rehabilitation, and long-term care settings. However, current evidence for joint protection has many limitations. To establish strong evidence supporting joint protection interventions for adults with arthritis, studies with fewer limitations need to be conducted.