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Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
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Lifestyle and home remedies
By Mayo Clinic staffSome of the most encouraging news about psoriatic arthritis is that you can do a great deal on your own to help manage the condition. What's more, these measures provide relief without causing side effects:
- Maintain a healthy weight. Maintaining a healthy weight places less strain on your joints, leading to reduced pain and increased energy and mobility. The best way to increase nutrients while limiting calories is to eat more plant-based foods — fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
- Exercise regularly. Exercise is beneficial for everyone — including for people with arthritis. In fact, exercise alone can help relieve many of the symptoms of arthritic conditions, including pain and fatigue. You're the best judge of how much you can do, but an appropriate activity level should make you feel the same or better afterward, not worse. Introduce new activities gradually and heed warning signs. If you experience new pain later in the day or fatigue the following day, you've probably done too much.
- Use cold and hot packs. Because cold has a numbing effect, it can dull the sensation of pain. Before using an ice pack, apply a thin layer of mineral oil over the painful joint. Place a damp towel over the mineral oil and then put the ice pack on the towel. Or, simply wrap a bag of frozen peas in a towel and apply to the sore area. You can apply cold several times a day for 20 or 30 minutes at a time. You can also use heat to relax tense muscles and relieve pain. Try an electric heating pad on the low setting — be sure to place a towel between your skin and the heating pad — or an inexpensive gel-filled pack found in most pharmacies. Taking a warm bath or shower also may help.
- Use proper body mechanics. Changing the way you carry out everyday tasks can make a tremendous difference in how you feel. For example, you can avoid straining your finger joints by using a can opener to twist the lids from jars, by lifting heavy pans or other objects with both hands, and by pushing open doors with your whole body instead of just your fingers. Ask your doctor about other ways you can protect your joints.
- Pace yourself. Battling pain and inflammation can leave you feeling exhausted. In addition, some arthritis medications can cause fatigue. The key isn't to stop being active entirely, but to rest before you become too tired. Divide exercise or work activities into short segments. And find time to relax several times throughout the day.
References
- Questions and answers about psoriasis. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. http://www.niams.nih.gov/hi/topics/psoriasis/psoriafs.htm. Accessed Sept. 9, 2008.
- Psoriatic arthritis. American College of Rheumatology. http://www.rheumatology.org/public/factsheets/psoriatic_new.asp. Accessed Sept. 9, 2008.
- Psoriasis of the nails. National Psoriasis Foundation. http://www.psoriasis.org/about/psoriasis/sites/nails.php. Accessed Sept. 9, 2008.
- Psoriatic arthritis. National Psoriasis Foundation. http://www.psoriasis.org/about/psa. Accessed Sept. 9, 2008.
- Gordon KB, et al. The treatment of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis: An interdisciplinary approach. The Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2006;54(3)(suppl):S85-S91.
- Cerhan JR, et al. Antioxidant micronutrients and risk of rheumatoid arthritis in a cohort of older women. American Journal of Epidemiology. 2003;157(4):345-354.
- Imokawa S, et al. Methotrexate pneumonitis: Review of the literature and histopathological findings in nine patients. The European Respiratory Journal. 2000;15(2):373-381.
- Tobin AM, et al. TNF alpha inhibitors in the treatment of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. BioDrugs. 2005;19(1):47-57.
- Gladman DD, et al. Patient information: Psoriatic arthritis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept. 11, 2008.
