Abstract:
Global rheumatoid arthritis (RA) prevalence has increased from approximately 460-500 cases per 100,000 population in 2020 to 500-540 cases in 2024, with total cases rising from 17-20 million to 21-24 million. In Indonesia, the prevalence of RA is about 0.1% of the population or 270,000 people. The incidence in Garut reaches 18,500 cases. A literature study using a narrative review method through searches on Google Scholar, PubMed, and Science Direct found 63 results, which were then narrowed down by excluding non-journal findings and duplicates to 48. Further selection based on availability of abstracts, full texts, Indonesian and English language, and publication years from 2016 to 2025 resulted in 14 articles. Article selection based on titles relevant to the topic yielded 10 journals. Analysis of these 10 articles on the effect of warm water foot immersion (hydrotherapy) to reduce pain in rheumatoid arthritis patients showed that hydrotherapy especially foot soaking with warm water, with or without added natural ingredients like red lemongrass, salt, and ginger consistently demonstrated positive results in reducing pain in RA patients. Variations in therapy types and evaluations via different pain scales indicate this intervention is effective and can complement conventional therapy. This review is expected to be a source of information and novelty in nursing and to enhance knowledge
