Ease Psoriatic Arthritis Pain

Psoriatic arthritis is an incurable disease that affects around 7 million people in the U.S. 

It combines two autoimmune conditions: psoriasis and arthritis. Psoriasis causes itchy and irritating skin rashes. Arthritis causes inflammation in your joints.

The pain in your joints and from your skin irritation can be one of the most difficult symptoms to handle. Read on to discover our 8 tips for managing the pain from your psoriatic arthritis.  

You should regularly use heat wraps and cold packs on the parts of your body that need it the most. Heat will increase your circulation and relieve stiffness in your joints. Coldness, on the other hand, will reduce inflammation. Plus, the cold feels good on your irritated skin. 

Use both methods to relieve your arthritis symptoms in your joints and on your skin. Just make sure that your temperature devices are properly insulated so you don’t do any more damage to your body.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can be great for arthritis because they help reduce inflammation of your swollen joints. You should use NSAIDs whenever you’re in too much pain. Follow the dosage instructions on the bottle. 

Ibuprofen is a common NSAID.

If more traditional medications aren’t working, doctors may offer newer treatments like biologics. Studies show that these medications can significantly reduce your joint pain — but you might not see any results until you’ve taken them for three months.  

This is another type of medication that can be injected directly into affected joints. This treatment is best applied after other versions of medication have failed to ease your symptoms. 

It will only really help the joint that it’s injected into, though. You can try oral steroids to help ease pain affecting multiple joints at once. Consult your doctor before taking multiple medications simultaneously. 

Even though it may feel counterintuitive at the time, you need to maintain an active lifestyle in order to help your arthritic pain in the long term. 

Exercise — preferably 30 minutes a day, five days a week when you have the energy — will help you maintain a healthy weight and keep extra pressure off of your joints. 

Just be sure to stick to exercises that don’t agitate your joint pain.  

The best way to ease your itchy and irritated skin is to keep it constantly moisturized with thick creams and ointments. Only use lotions with low water content, though. 

You’ll want to apply these creams multiple times a day, depending on the severity of your symptoms.  

To keep your skin as moist as possible and ease its pain, you should find a bathing routine that works for you and stick with it. 

Always apply moisturizer immediately after taking a shower or being in water. Never take excessively hot showers or baths — these dry out your skin. 

Products like bath oils can help to keep your skin from drying out in the water.

Some evidence indicates that acupuncture can have a positive effect on managing your psoriatic arthritis symptoms. There are no significant risks associated with this technique, so why don’t you try it out and see if it’s right for you?