Halo-body jacket immobilization in rheumatoid arthritis patients with cervical myelopathy

The rehabilitation nurse may care for patients with arthritis in a variety of settings. When the patient has advanced RA, the problem of cervical myelopathy may require surgical intervention and use of the halo-body jacket immobilization orthosis. Expert pre- and postoperative management requires a knowledge of surgical nursing as well as rehabilitation nursing, in the traditional sense, to prevent complications and promote optimum recovery. When dealing with people who have lived with RA for many years, the rehabilitation nurse must continue to assess the patient's knowledge of the disease and use of self-management strategies and community resources.