Get to know your psoriatic arthritis and make note of your experiences. You can help your doctor monitor your psoriatic arthritis by sharing your experience of symptoms and life impact for you. While lifestyle changes alone are not enough, there are things you can do to help control your psoriatic arthritis. Maintaining an ideal body weight is essential for psoriatic arthritis both for disease activity, and for decreasing your cardiovascular risk and the risk of fatty liver.
People with psoriatic arthritis tend to have fatigue and there are now studies that show that staying active improves fatigue. Work with your doctor to find an appropriate exercise program. However, it may not be appropriate to start a new exercise program if you are in the middle of a psoriatic arthritis flare. If tendons and/or joints are inflamed, high impact exercise is best avoided until you recover.
Be aware of your psoriatic arthritis and know what may trigger symptoms of flare to you personally. Look for resources; the National Psoriasis Foundation offers several support programs that may be of help: https://www.psoriasis.org/about-psoriatic-arthritis. Consider enlisting family, friends, work colleagues, to help make your psoriatic arthritis manageable, leading to a productive and enjoyable life overall.
