When we talk about tracking for people with arthritis, it means people are keeping a record of the daily symptoms and activities that are important to them. So, people may be doing a diary of how their pain, fatigue, and mood change over time. This can help people understand whether or not their condition is under control, as well as how daily activities impact arthritis symptoms.

It’s not easy to remember everything that happens on specific days, especially in the time between medical appointments. When people track their symptoms and disease activity over time, it creates a rich picture for them to be able to communicate with their health care providers. Health professionals can then use this information to recommend and tailor treatments to meet each person’s needs.

Here are some of the symptoms and activities people might find useful to track:

• Pain
• Fatigue
• Mood
• Physical activity
• Sleep (duration and quality)
• Medications
• Stress levels (and stressful events)
• Work/work hours

While no tracking methods will work for everyone, here are some methods to choose from:

• Notebook
• Calendar (print or digital)
• Apps
• Fitness trackers

Being physically active is important because it helps individuals to manage their symptoms better. People often avoid movement when they are in pain. However, this can cause joints to become stiff and muscles to become weak. Maintaining a good level of physical activity, and using targeted therapeutic exercise, can help to keep muscles strong, joints flexible and reduce the level of stiffness and pain that a person experiences. People also find that, when they are physically active, their medication works better in terms of controlling symptoms and disease activity.

Rheumatoid arthritis increases the risk of heart disease. We also know that physical activity is one of the most powerful interventions for decreasing that risk in the general population, as well as in people with arthritis. So, not being physically active increases heart disease risk. For people with osteoarthritis, which often affects older adults, being physically active is particularly important because it is not only good for joint health, but also heart and brain health. The key is knowing how much or little physical activity to do each day and how it impacts arthritis symptoms. This is different for every individual. Tracking symptoms and physical activity can help people understand how exercise type and frequency impact symptoms.

Since 2014, Arthritis Research Canada’s scientists have worked with patient partners to look at strategies to help individuals keep a record of their symptoms and physical activity and use that information to work with their health professionals. Scientists worked with people with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Through a series of projects with people living with osteoarthritis, scientists discovered that using a wearable device and app to track physical activity (coupled with counselling from a physiotherapist), allowed people to increase their physical activity over time and develop a habit. Their pain levels were also better controlled.

More recently, scientists did this work with individuals living with rheumatoid arthritis and found that peoples’ ability to manage their health improved substantially. This research suggests that an individual’s ability to record what they experience and do during the day allows them to see patterns and share this information with health professionals. It also improves a person’s ability to take control of their health and get more value out of their interactions with health care providers. In people with rheumatoid arthritis, researchers also found that fatigue and depression decreased and people perceived that they were able to walk more during the day.

Arthritis Research Canada’s Senior Scientist, Dr. Linda Li, has worked with a group of patient partners and health professionals to develop an app called OPERAS, which is an online journal that allows people to track their arthritis symptoms, disease activity and treatments over time. OPERAS can also be paired with a wearable, such as a Fitbit, to obtain information about a person’s physical activity and sleep quality.

OPERAS is unique because it includes a dashboard that allows people to see what they record for their symptoms and disease activity alongside what they do during the day and how they sleep at night. So, over time, users are able to see the relationship between what they do and how they feel during the day. Another unique feature is that people can share the information recorded in OPERAS with others. For example, if someone is having a telehealth consult with their rheumatologist or physiotherapist, they can send information or give OPERAS profile access to their health care provider ahead of time. This allows patients and health care providers to have the full picture in front of them during their conversation.

Based on feedback from patient partners involved in this research, OPERAS allows for a more meaningful conversation between patients and health care providers. It also helps health care providers to better prescribe and recommend treatments based on each patient’s needs. Researchers created OPERAS because they worked with patient partners over the years and heard that people want tools – they want a way to be able to conveniently record their symptoms, what they do and how they feel over time. OPERAS is still in the research phase, but we will share more information when the app becomes available for public use.