| Sumario: | Objective: The aim of this narrative review was to summarize current evidence regarding the role of physical activity as a non-pharmacological intervention in the management of rheumatoid arthritis. Design: Narrative review of the literature. Materials and Methods: A literature search was conducted using the PubMed/MEDLINE database. Publications from 2016 to 2026, written in English and involving human subjects, were included. Randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews, and narrative reviews addressing physical activity or structured exercise interventions in adult patients with rheumatoid arthritis were analyzed. Ten publications met the inclusion criteria and were included in the qualitative synthesis. The characteristics of the included studies are summarized in Table 1. Results: The reviewed studies indicate that various forms of physical activity, including aerobic, resistance, flexibility, aquatic, and combined exercise programs, are safe and feasible for patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Exercise interventions were consistently associated with improvements in pain, physical function, muscle strength, fatigue, and quality of life, without exacerbation of disease activity. Discussion: Physical activity appears to positively influence key clinical and patient-reported outcomes and may serve as an effective adjunct to pharmacological therapy. Conclusions: Physical activity represents an effective and safe non-pharmacological strategy in the comprehensive management of rheumatoid arthritis and should be considered an integral component of patient care.
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