One of the best ways to help relieve the pain and stiffness caused by Rheumatoid Arthritis, and to help keep the joints healthy for a longer period of time, is to exercise your joints in ways that make them move through their full range of motion.

One of the defining characteristics of Rheumatoid Arthritis is that pain and stiffness are most severe when you first wake up in the morning, or when you've been sitting still for an extended period of time. After you wake up and start moving however, the pain and stiffness are reduced. For most people the reduced pain and stiffness happens within an hour of waking up in the morning, or starting movement again after sitting still. It's because of this though, that doctors recommend getting exercise when you have Rheumatoid Arthritis, because it helps relieve some of the common symptoms.

The other reason you're encouraged to exercise when you have Rheumatoid Arthritis, is because it helps slow down the progressive joint damage that occurs from the disease. Over time, people with Rheumatoid Arthritis will experience deformities in their affected joints, and those joints will not be able to move as well as they once did. For some people, almost complete loss of mobility can happen. By exercising those joints from the beginning however, you can slow down the progression of this damage and degeneration of the joints. And by slowing it down, you'll continue to have regular mobility for many more years than you would without exercise.

Because Rheumatoid Arthritis is painful however, the type of exercise you do for your joints is important. First you must try to exercise in a way that will force your joint through a full range of normal motion. Secondly though, and this may be the most important part when you're in pain, you need to exercise in ways that will not be overly stressful on the affected joints.

High impact aerobics for instance, aren't the best form of exercise for people who have Rheumatoid Arthritis in their knees or ankles. Running and jogging may not work overly well either.

Swimming is actually the most recommended form of exercise for Rheumatoid Arthritis sufferers though, because it works out your entire body and provides full movement of your joints, while not creating heavy stress or impact on those joints. Swimming is also excellent for toning all the muscles in your body too.

Yoga is another low impact form of exercise that helps strengthen and tone your muscles without adding extra stress to your joints, and it's also an excellent way to relieve stress.

There are other types of low impact exercises that can be done, and which one works best for you will depend on how severe your Rheumatoid Arthritis symptoms are. Some people may be able to do mild weight lifting for instance, and others may enjoy walking 30 minutes a day.

Low impact aerobics and dancing can be fun and enjoyable too, as can various forms of martial arts such as Tai Chi. Rebounding is another popular form of exercise that allows you to jump without stressing your joints too. This exercise involves using mini trampolines mixed with various movements of your body.