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We are excited to announce that Dr. Padma R. Chimata has been elected as the 2026 President of the Harris County Medical Society West Branch!
Living with joint pain can make everyday tasks feel like climbing a mountain. If you’re managing rheumatoid arthritis (RA), you might notice your symptoms fluctuate from one day to the next.
At Katy Rheumatology & Associates in Katy, Texas, Padma Chimata, MD, FACP, AGS, and our team help patients navigate these daily challenges. While medical treatments are essential, your daily routines also play a massive role in how you feel. Some common habits can actually trigger painful RA symptom flares.
Let's take a closer look at seven everyday habits that could be worsening your RA-related joint pain, and what you can do instead.
Going to bed at different times can disrupt your body's natural rhythms. A 2025 study which tracked 195 adults with RA found that those with highly irregular sleepiness over three days had about double the chance of a severe flare the next day. We help our patients build better sleep habits to protect their joints.
Stress and anxiety don’t just affect your mind; they directly impact your joints. The same 2025 study found that worsening anxiety over three days was linked to a significantly higher chance of a next-day RA flare.
Why? Because stress triggers a release of inflammatory chemicals that make your joints hurt more. We emphasize stress management techniques as a core part of our care.
It’s natural to avoid movement when your joints ache, but staying still actually increases stiffness. The American College of Rheumatology strongly recommends consistent exercise over no exercise for managing RA.
Gentle movement keeps your joints lubricated and strengthens supporting muscles. We also offer ultrasound guided injections to help make movement more comfortable.
On days when you feel good, you might try to finish all your chores at once. This often leads to a painful crash the next day. Clinical RA guidelines support activity pacing to help manage chronic fatigue and joint pain. We teach our patients to set a timer and rest before pain starts.
What you eat can either fuel inflammation or help calm it. That’s why our team recommends a Mediterranean-style diet for patients with RA. This eating pattern focuses on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and fish while limiting highly processed foods. Our practice integrates nutritional guidance to help you make joint-friendly choices.
You might hear online that you must completely eliminate gluten, dairy, or nightshades to stop RA symptom flares. However, the American College of Rheumatology explicitly advises against highly restrictive elimination diets for the general RA population.
These extreme diets can cause nutritional deficiencies and unnecessary stress. Instead, our team advocates for balanced, sustainable nutrition over extreme dietary restrictions.
Healthy habits are powerful, but they can’t stop the underlying immune system attack on your joints. RA management guidelines emphasize that lifestyle therapies must complement, rather than replace, standard medical treatments.
Skipping your medication can lead to irreversible joint damage. We offer advanced medical options, including infusion therapy, to protect your joints.
Managing RA requires a balance of medical expertise and healthy daily habits. At Katy Rheumatology & Associates, we provide personalized care plans that combine advanced treatments with practical lifestyle support.
Are you ready to take control of your joint health? We’re here to help. Call 281-941-6923 to schedule a visit with our team in Katy, Texas, today.
