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Risk of Joint Injury with Scleroderma

Janet Poole, Ph.D., OTR/L, FAOTA

July 11, 2012

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Question

Is there any risk of injuring joints during aggressive range of motion exercises with persons with scleroderma?

Answer

There can be a risk of injuring joints if there are other joint diseases involved such as rheumatoid arthritis.  I always recommend using slow and steady stretches.  I would also recommend muscle relaxing techniques such as heat or paraffin baths.  Obviously, you would need to use caution with these techniques if they have Reynaud's disease.


janet poole

Janet Poole, Ph.D., OTR/L, FAOTA

Dr. Poole is a Professor in the Occupational Therapy Graduate Program at the University of New Mexico.  She received her BS degree in Occupational Therapy from Colorado State University, her MA degree in Educational Psychology from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and her PhD in motor learning/motor control from the University of Pittsburgh.  Dr. Poole’s research interest is in scleroderma and the functional impact of the disease on tasks of daily living, oral hygiene, parenting and employment.  She has conducted a number of studies examining rehabilitation interventions with people with scleroderma and, with a colleague, is developed a self-management program for persons with scleroderma.  She has also authored several textbook chapters on rehabilitation for persons with scleroderma.


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