The use of benzodiazepines (such as diazepam) to treat the pain is not recommended as it does not appear to help and is associated with risks. Lifestyle
Regular exercise is recommended as both safe and useful to maintain muscle strength and overall physical function. Physical activity is beneficial for people with rheumatoid arthritis who experience fatigue, although there was little to no evidence to suggest that exercise may have an impact on physical function in the long term, a study found that carefully dosed exercise has shown significant improvements in patients with RA. Moderate effects have been found for aerobic exercises and resistance training on cardiovascular fitness and muscle strength in RA. Furthermore, physical activity had no detrimental side effects like increased disease activity in any exercise dimension. It is uncertain if eating or avoiding specific foods or other specific dietary measures help improve symptoms. Occupational therapy has a positive role to play in improving functional ability in people with rheumatoid arthritis. Weak evidence supports the use of wax baths (thermotherapy) to treat arthritis in the hands.Educational approaches that inform people about tools and strategies available to help them cope with rheumatoid arthritis may improve a persons psychological status and level of depression in the shorter-term. The use of extra-depth shoes and molded insoles may reduce pain during weight-bearing activities such as walking. Insoles may also prevent the progression of bunions. Disease-modifying agents
Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) are the primary treatment for RA. They are a diverse collection of drugs, grouped by use and convention.
As most RA is detected early and treated aggressively, physical therapy plays more of a preventative and compensatory role, aiding in pain management alongside regular rheumatic therapy. Surgery
Especially for affected fingers, hands, and wrists, synovectomy may be needed to prevent pain or tendon rupture when drug treatment has failed. Severely affected joints may require joint replacement surgery, such as knee replacement. Postoperatively, physiotherapy is always necessary. : 1080, 1103  There is insufficient evidence to support surgical treatment on arthritic shoulders. Physiotherapy
For people with RA, physiotherapy may be used together with medical management. This may include cold and heat application, electronic stimulation, and hydrotherapy. Although medications improve symptoms of RA, muscle function is not regained when disease activity is controlled.Physiotherapy promotes physical activity. In RA, physical activity like exercise in the appropriate dosage (frequency, intensity, time, type, volume, progression) and physical activity promotion is effective in improving cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength, and maintaining a long term active lifestyle. In the short term, resistance exercises, with or without range of motion exercises, improve self-reported hand functions. Physical activity promotion according to the public health recommendations should be an integral part of standard care for people with RA and other arthritic diseases. Additionally, the combination of physical activities and cryotherapy show its efficacy on the disease activity and pain relief. The combination of aerobic activity and cryotherapy  may be an innovative therapeutic strategy to improve the aerobic capacity in arthritis patients and consequently reduce their cardiovascular risk while minimizing pain and disease activity.