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Research Questions On Rheumatoid Arthritis

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Positionality and Research Questions
Introduction
Patients diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis present chronic systemic inflammation, contributing to a variety of symptoms such as pain in joints, muscle cachexia (muscle wasting) and decreased muscular function, and so reducing their quality of life (Ekdahl and Broman. 1992). Rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by the systemic inflammation of the synovial membrane of one or more joints and an abnormally high presence of pro-inflammatory cytokines. (Cooney, Law et al. 2011).
It has been recognised that there is a common cycle of chronic inflammation within rheumatic patients. This is initiated by the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines leading to a higher risk of attaining a …show more content…

It is well-known that exercise applies physiological stress on systems; for instance on the muscular and cardiovascular systems, causing long term physiological adaptation if it is occurs persistently over a period of time. Exercise could be utilized in rheumatic diseases if applied correctly in order to interrupt the cycle of chronic inflammation by inducing anti-inflammatory effects via releasing cytokines with anti-inflammatory properties (Petersen and Pedersen. 2005). In the long term, exercise can improve muscular function which is diminished in RA due to muscle cachexia. Exercise is also beneficial to reduce the risk of attaining a comorbidity such as cardiovascular or metabolic diseases (Benatti and Pedersen. 2014). Research is required on the prescription of exercise and how to apply it into the lives of patients. Studies are being done in these areas however these are different in terms of the principles of training (Frequency, Intensity, Duration and Type of exercise). They also differ in the types of patients used in the studies. Thus further study needs to investigate the optimal prescription, exercise delivery and assist adherence to training (Cooney, Law et al. 2011).
Methodological Choice
Following this, my proposed research question would be “What is the most effective exercise protocol in order to improve physical capacity and reduce the risk of gaining a comorbidity in patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis?”
This question is based within the paradigm of

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