Regular exercise e. g. swimming, running or aerobics may be helpful. Your child will be given exercises by a physiotherapist to do at home. These will aim to reduce the pain and stiffness in your child's joints. She/He will need to do these exercises every day even though she/he may not feel like it. Using heat treatments e. g. a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel may help to ease painful and swollen joints. A cold compress e. g. ice or a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a towel may also help. Never apply ice directly to the skin as it can give an 'ice burn'-always place a cloth between the ice and skin.
Attribution: BUPA