Joint Protection : enabling change in musculoskeletal conditions

Joint protection includes applying ergonomic principles in daily life, altering working methods, using assistive devices, and modifying environments. It is taught to people with musculoskeletal conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), osteoarthritis (OA), and soft tissue rheumatisms. Common principles are to: distribute load over several joints; reduce effort using assistive devices; pace activities; use orthoses; and exercise regularly. Cognitive-behavioral, self-efficacy, and motor-learning approaches are employed. Trials demonstrate that using these approaches is significantly more effective than advice and demonstration alone in changing joint-protection behavior, improving self-efficacy, function, and reducing pain in both early and established RA and hand OA. There is still conflicting evidence for its effectiveness in soft-tissue rheumatisms