Create Your Personalized Guide for
Psoriatic Arthritis
Get Started
Management
What aspect of managing psoriatic arthritis do you feel like you need the most help with?
Managing my symptoms
Making healthier lifestyle choices
Protecting my joints and preserving function
What’s your top lifestyle goal?
Eating a healthy, anti-inflammatory diet
Exercising regularly
Managing stress
Let’s figure out how to protect your joints from long-term damage. Where do you want to start?
Treatment options
Assistive devices
Physical or occupational therapy
Treatment Options
Which symptom is the biggest challenge?
Joint pain
Morning stiffness
Fatigue
Find Relief Now: 5 At-Home Tips for Joint Pain
If you experience persistent joint pain, you’re not alone — it’s one of the hallmark symptoms of psoriatic arthritis, and it can affect a number of different joints in the body. While there’s no cure for psoriatic arthritis, there are steps you can take to alleviate chronic joint pain.
• Use a heating pad for stiff, painful joints; switch to an ice pack to reduce inflammation at the beginning of a flare. • Incorporate joint-friendly exercises into your routine, such as gentle stretching to improve range of motion and riding a stationary bike to build lower body strength. • Try alternative therapies, like massage, hydrotherapy, or acupuncture. Get even more tips to help you manage joint pain.
Related:
6 Symptoms You Shouldn’t Ignore
10 Bad Habits That Make Psoriatic Arthritis Worse
Start Over
Next: Morning Stiffness
Quiz: Are You Asking Your Doctor the Right Questions?
Related
Your 5-Step Morning Routine to Ease Joint Stiffness
Rise and shine? Not so much. Psoriatic arthritis can cause your joints to swell, resulting in stiffness — especially in the morning. But even if you’re not a morning person, starting your day off with the right routine can help. Start by:
• Setting your alarm for earlier than you actually need to get up in order to ease into your day. • Practicing a few gentle stretches before you even get out of bed. • Taking a warm shower to help loosen stiff joints and muscles. Get two more tips that can make your mornings better.
Next: Fatigue
Previous: Joint Pain
Feeling Zapped? 9 Fatigue Fighters That Actually Help
Ongoing fatigue is common in people with psoriatic arthritis, and researchers and physicians are just starting to explore this link. Meanwhile, you can try these strategies to help conserve your energy throughout the day:
• Ask for help when you need it. For example, when attending events, ask for a ride if you know you’ll be too tired to drive yourself home safely. • Prioritize your day. Make a plan to complete the most important tasks first, before you run out of steam. • Balance activity and rest — instead of powering through an hour or more of heavy work, break up active tasks with periods to refresh. Get more tips to conserve your energy for when you really need it most.
Previous: Morning Stiffness
5 Things I Wish More People Knew
How to Create Your Own Anti-Inflammatory Diet
When it comes to managing psoriatic arthritis, your diet matters. Eating anti-inflammatory foods can help calm the inflammation that can cause pain and lead to joint damage. However, other foods can actually worsen psoriatic arthritis-related inflammation. Finding the exact diet approach that works for you involves some trial and error, but start with these tips:
• Eat more salmon — it’s rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which can help ease inflammation associated with psoriatic arthritis. • Cut back on fatty red meat, which can contribute to inflammation. Instead, choose lean meats like skinless chicken and turkey breasts. • Snack on cherries and berries, which contain the phytonutrients called anthocyanins that help calm inflammation. What else should you eat — or avoid? Get the list!
9 Tricks to Make Cooking Easier
6 Healthy Lifestyle Tips
Next: Exercising Regularly
Need to Revamp Your Exercise Routine? We’ve Got You Covered
Exercise may seem like the last thing you want to do if you have psoriatic arthritis. However, regular physical activity can help maintain muscle strength and joint mobility — as long as you don’t overdo it. Talk to your doctor about adding these types of exercises to your routine:
• Strength-training exercises are designed to help increase muscle strength — and the stronger your muscles, the more stable your joints. • Range-of-motion exercises involve gently stretching your joints to help keep them flexible and prevent stiffness. • Weight-bearing or endurance exercises, including walking, swimming, and biking, can help ease psoriatic arthritis symptoms. Find out how to safely incorporate these exercises into your workouts.
Next: Managing Stress
Previous: Eating Healthy
5 Stress Management Tricks
When you have psoriatic arthritis, stress can have a snowball effect: Stress can trigger a psoriatic arthritis flare, and that flare can cause stress. Take control of stress before it gets out of control with these steps:
• Practice mindfulness, which involves staying focused on the present moment and accepting feelings and thoughts without judgement. • Stay active. Not only does exercise combat stress by boosting feel-good endorphins, but it also can help naturally improve symptoms like joint pain and stiffness. • Get support. Psoriatic arthritis is a lifelong condition, and enlisting support from family and friends, plus talking to others who also have the condition, can help ease the burden. Get more tips to relieve stress.
The Pros and Cons of Massage
Previous: Exercising Regularly
Previous: Exercise Regularly
When it Comes to Treatment, You Have Options
Is your psoriatic arthritis treatment working? Doctors typically start off by prescribing the least aggressive options. If those aren’t enough to control joint pain, stiffness, soreness, swelling, and inflammation, it may be time to evaluate your treatment plan. Available options for treating psoriatic arthritis include:
• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which your doctor may recommend taking to control inflammation, pain, and stiffness when these symptoms occur. • Disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), which modify the immune system action that contributes to inflammation. • Biologics, a newer type of DMARD that target a specific protein in the immune response that increases inflammation. Find out what you can expect if your doctor plans to step up your psoriatic arthritis treatment plan.
Next: Assistive Devices
Your Psoriatic Arthritis Home Makeover
When you have psoriatic arthritis, symptoms like joint pain, stiffness, and swelling can make everyday tasks more difficult to accomplish. Making adjustments around your house and using assistive devices can help make life a little easier. Try a room-by-room approach:
• Kitchen: Start by storing the items you use most often in the places on your counter and cabinets that are most convenient to reach. • Bedroom: Invest in a good mattress that’s firm enough to provide support, yet soft enough to cushion your body. • Living room: Make the area easier to navigate by getting rid of any unused furniture, boxes, or decorations that take up floor space to reduce the likelihood of falls. Get more tips for each of these rooms, plus the bathroom.
10 Habits That Are Bad for Your Joints
Next: PT/OT
Previous: Treatment
How Physical and Occupational Therapists Can Help You
Physical and occupational therapy are two complementary therapies that can be added to your overall psoriatic arthritis treatment plan. Both are designed to strengthen muscles around affected joints, increase flexibility and range of motion, and protect joints from further damage. Here’s what to expect from a physical or occupational therapist:
• A skilled physical or occupational therapist can assess your current abilities and find ways to make moving easier for you, whether at home or at work. • A physical or occupational therapy program often is based on how many joints are affected and where those joints are on your body. • Physical and occupational therapy sessions are tailored to your unique needs, strengths, and weaknesses. Find out if you’d be a good candidate for these complementary therapies.
Previous: Assistive Devices