Psoriatic Arthritis Specialist

What is psoriatic arthritis?

Psoriatic arthritis is an autoimmune disorder that results from your immune system mistakenly attacking cells in your body as if they were invading microorganisms.

Most patients who develop psoriatic arthritis have the skin disease psoriasis first, sometimes years in advance of the arthritis setting in. Psoriasis causes an overgrowth of skin cells that then form itchy, scaly patches.

Not everyone with psoriasis has psoriatic arthritis; around 70% of psoriasis patients never develop arthritis. In a few cases, arthritis is the first symptom, with psoriasis coming on afterward.

What symptoms does psoriatic arthritis cause?

Psoriatic arthritis can affect one or many joints and is most likely to appear in 30–50-year-olds. Common symptoms of psoriatic arthritis include:

• Joint pain
• Inflammation
• Stiffness
• Swollen fingers and toes
• Nail changes
• Lower back pain
• Heel and sole pain
• Conjunctivitis (pink eye)
• Uveitis (eye inflammation)

The inflammation and pain that psoriatic arthritis causes tend to be worse where your tendons connect to the bones in your knees, feet, elbows, and spine. These symptoms can flare up for a few days or weeks, then go into remission before worsening again.

Without treatment, psoriatic arthritis can cause permanent joint damage.

What treatments are available for psoriatic arthritis?

Your Arthritis Associates provider prepares a treatment plan to reduce your pain and inflammation and prevent irreversible joint damage.

Exercise and physical therapies are essential to keep your joints flexible and prevent muscle wastage, which would make your symptoms worse and accelerate the disease's progression. You may also benefit from taking medications such as:

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)

NSAIDs reduce inflammation and relieve pain. If over-the-counter NSAIDs like ibuprofen aren't effective, your provider at Arthritis Associates can prescribe a more potent form like diclofenac.

Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs)

DMARDs help slow down the progression of psoriatic arthritis.

Immunosuppressants

Immunosuppressants limit immune system activity and help prevent your condition from worsening as quickly.

TNF-alpha inhibitors

TNF (tumor necrosis factor) alpha inhibitors can reduce pain, inflammation, and stiffness.

Steroid injections

Steroids are some of the most effective anti-inflammatory agents. Injecting steroids into badly affected joints can provide a long-term reduction in pain and inflammation.

Viscosupplementation

Viscosupplementation uses hyaluronic acid, a natural lubricant, to reduce joint friction.

The team at Arthritis Associates works closely with your dermatologist to optimize your psoriatic arthritis treatment.

If you have psoriasis with joint pain, begin treatment by calling Arthritis Associates to schedule a consultation or booking an appointment online today.