Living with Psoriatic Arthritis
A diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis does not mean you need to stop doing the things you enjoy. Many psoriatic arthritis patients are leading full and productive lives.
You can help manage your psoriatic arthritis by making certain adjustments to your lifestyle. Healthy eating, proper exercise, pain management, and stress reduction can help you maintain quality of life and cope better with your condition.
Determining the proper treatment for your psoriatic arthritis is important as well, since the condition is progressive. If untreated or undertreated, psoriatic arthritis can become debilitating and cause permanent damage to joints.
For starters, try the following:
- Don’t ignore pain. You may experience pain from your psoriatic arthritis, either periodically or frequently, but if you have pain that lasts more than an hour or two following an activity, or if it seems worse the next morning, you may have overdone it. Try doing it differently next time or ask for help.
- Change the way you do things. Minor adjustments in your daily routine can help you reduce pain. Practice good posture while both seated and standing, and try to make household chores easier. For example, when you go shopping, don’t carry packages long distances. Instead, use a shopping cart that you can push. Or when you do laundry, transfer some of the detergent from a large, heavy container into a smaller, more manageable one that is easier to lift.
- Care for your skin. If you are working outdoors in the garden, garage, or anywhere outside, wear a pair of protective gloves. You may also want to wear shoes or sneakers with enclosed toes to protect your toenails. Brief exposure to moderate amounts of sunlight can actually help heal skin lesions. Just don’t burn or stay in the sun too long. Also remember to moisturize your skin. Moisturizing regularly can help reduce scales and inflammation.
- Take time out. Remember that it’s okay to take a break from the grind. Take time to relax and even engage in stress-relieving techniques such as meditation or deep-breathing exercises. Don’t worry if it takes you a little longer to do certain things or if you need a little extra rest between activities. Instead of viewing this negatively, think of it as part of an overall stress management program.
- Talk to your dermatologist about treatment options. Psoriatic arthritis involves both joint and skin symptoms that don’t always develop together. Finding effective treatment can be a challenge. REMICADE can reduce signs and symptoms of active arthritis, help stop further joint damage, and improve physical function in many patients with psoriatic arthritis. What’s more, in clinical studies, some patients experienced up to 90% skin clearance with REMICADE. Individual results may vary.
For more detailed information about living with psoriatic arthritis, please visit the following resources:
|
