Abstract
Rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and axial spondyloarthritis are types of inflammatory arthritis (IA) characterized by joint pain and stiffness that, despite therapeutic advances, remain difficult to treat. Changes in physical activity (PA) and sleep patterns may provide insights into IA disease course and activity. Wearable accelerometers have been validated as reliable, objective measures of PA and have provided insight into IA disease activity and progression through both PA and sleep metrics. Further, the granular nature of accelerometry data may provide the opportunity to identify early signals of treatment response or disease flares, leading to more effective and personalized therapeutic regimens in patients with IA. In this review, we summarize the current state of wearable technology in IA and explore the potential of wearables to bridge gaps in care.
- Accepted for publication February 24, 2026.
- Copyright © 2026 by the Journal of Rheumatology
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In this issue
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- Article
- Abstract
- Effect of arthritis on physical activity, sleep, and quality of life
- Gaps in IA care and research
- Wearable activity monitors
- Methods
- Benefits of wearable activity monitoring
- Wearable assessment of PA and sedentary behavior
- Wearable assessment of sleep
- Proposed uses of wearables in IA
- Enablers and barriers to wearable integration into IA care
- Strengths and limitations
- Conclusions and future directions
- ACKNOWLEDGMENT
- Footnotes
- REFERENCES
- Info & Metrics
- References