Tips for Psoriatic Arthritis in the Fall

Most of us are beginning to enter a fall state of mind. If you haven’t been keeping up with the weather update, you’d be pleased to know that a majority of the states will be experiencing a warmer than usual fall. This is great news for those of us with psoriatic arthritis.

According to The Weather Channel, only the Southeastern states will enjoy temperatures closer to what is typically expected. Nevertheless, despite seemingly more manageable fall conditions, it is always best to be prepared. You never know when the weather might take a surprise trip.

Psoriatic inflammation in the fall

With a greater risk of inflammation flare-ups in fall, it is crucial to remain diligent in your daily joint conditioning exercises. Strengthening your ankles, knees and even fingers will help to protect your pain points. This will reduce the pressure on your day to day activities put on them.

A stretch and strengthen routine come highly recommended by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS). This is to ensure that patients retain and enhance the range of motion for each joint.

My knees give me the most pain regardless of the season. A large part of my conditioning exercise involves targeting my quadriceps and my hamstrings. I do squats and leg presses while lying down of course. This is what helps me to stay flexible and mobile.

If you are anything like me the hands give us problems as well. My hands get swollen and painful when the cold hits them. I invested in some insulated gloves that seem to protect me a lot. Make sure you're able to bend your fingers with the gloves; you want to be able to pick up stuff.

Show your skin some tender vitamin D

One of the biggest misconceptions surrounding ultraviolet is that it is only present when you can see sunlight or feel the heat. The truth is that on a cloudy day, ultraviolet rays do still reach you although cloud cover can help to block out harmful UVB to some extent.

Yet, unless the sky is completely overcast and dark, a few minutes of an outdoor stroll is good for your skin. Similar precautions as in summer should continue to be taken; do not underestimate suffering from over-exposure.

Whether fall brings with its frequent episodes of showers or not, your skin’s need for vitamin D should not be neglected. It works hand in hand with your body to enhance the absorption of calcium too.

The importance of rest

If you have PsA you know that this disease takes a lot out of us. It is hard for us to sleep at night. We are drain during the day which makes our pain worst. My doctor told me to get on a regular sleep schedule. He does not have PsA so does not realize how hard that it. I tried going to bed at the same time every night, which doesn't help me much at all.

Keep warm to keep healthy

All psoriasis warriors try and keep warm. We know how catching a cold can easily trigger a psoriatic arthritis flare-up. Let's try and avoid this if possible. Falling sick puts our bodies under stress which is a big factor for flare-ups.

Summer is a more comfortable period for our joints. If this is you and you want to prolong it, wash your hands, and keep warm, in that order of importance.

Fall may feature temperatures that are higher than usual during this season. Since we are indoors most of the time with our families right now anyway, personal hygiene should continue to be practiced so that we don’t catch a cold too. Got tips to share with our community? Pop them into the comments section.