Introduction:

Rheumatoid arthritis has a significant negative impact on the ability to perform daily tasks, including work, household chores and quality of life. Experimental and clinical findings suggest that retraining of motor skills may provide improvements in patients with chronic pain the wrist and hand.

Objective:

To describe the changes in the manual function, the grip strength and pain, to the sixth week and to the third month after the application of exercises focused on manual motor skills, in adults with rheumatoid arthritis.

Method:

Non-experimental design study, descriptive case series, sample 17 participants with diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. The patients performed a program of exercises focused on manual motor skill for 6 weeks. Were measured at the variables of function, the grip strength , digtal clamp and pain, the sixth week and at the third month.

Results:

There was no significant difference in pain intensity, function and the grip strength, post intervention p > 0,05. There was significant difference at the sixth week in the digital clamp p = 0.002. During follow-up at the third month, there was only significant difference in the grip strength p = 0.01.

Conclusion:

The application of a program of exercises focused on the manual motor skill, generated changes a level of the grip strength and clamp. Regarding the functionality and intensity of pain, there were no significant differences.

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