Simple Stretches That Ease the Pain of Psoriatic Arthritis

Having psoriatic arthritis is tough. Waking up in the morning, my body is so stiff all over. It literally takes me hours to move without excruciating pain.

The doctors tell me it's the excess weight I carry that is making my body hurt. Yes, I agree that it does contribute. How are you supposed to do any real exercising when it hurts to move?

I thought I would list some of the stretches I do that really seem to help.

The stretch that reaches for the stars

Every morning the first stretch I do is geared toward my back. I bring both arms together above my head just to the point that my fingers are touching. I then take and make a slight thrust with my hips so that it puts a bit of arch in my back.

I then return to a straight-up position again with my arms still above my head. It really helps to stretch those aching muscles in my back. I do this repeatedly for five times to ten times depending on how stiff my back feels. If you feel any pain that feels worse than the stiffness you feel each morning then please do not continue.

Side leg kicks for pain relief

There are days when the stiffness is so bad that getting out of bed is almost impossible. I do leg kicks to help start getting the blood flowing. While lying on my side, I take my leg and move it up toward the ceiling. This really seems to get a lot of the stiffness I feel out before I get out of bed.

I usually have a lot of pain in my right hip. I find these leg kicks help. You could do it laying on your side or even laying on your back. To me, it is easier to do it on my side so I do one side and flip over. Again, if you feel increased pain, please stop. The last thing I want with these stretches is to cause more pain.

A stretching machine

I love to go to garage sales. At one of them, I found this machine that actually is supposed to help someone lose weight. The machine allows you to lay on the floor and place your ankles in the holders. It swings your legs back and forth. Little did I know this machine would also help ease my back and spine pain.

The name of it is called the Exerciser 2000 elite. You can even use it on your bed. It has various rates of speed so you can choose what is comfortable for you. I have to admit, I don't use it every day but it is my go-to at least twice a week.

Stretching routines can provide pain relief

Whatever your routine is, it is recommended that since you have psoriatic arthritis, stretching is always best. If you can do a full workout then congrats to you for being able to. If you're like me and cannot do a full workout, then at least you are doing something to get the body moving.

Before I end this article, however, I do want to caution you once more. If you feel pain more than usual, please stop stretching. Psoriatic arthritis is bad enough without adding more pain to it.