Treatments That Might Relieve The Inflammation And Pain Of Your Psoriatic Arthritis

When you have psoriatic arthritis, you can have symptoms of psoriasis and arthritis combined. This might manifest as lesions on the skin and painful, swollen joints. Your doctor may try different treatments to find an effective way to control your skin lesions while reducing joint inflammation and pain. Here are some treatments for this condition your doctor may suggest.

Anti-Inflammatory Drugs

Depending on the severity of your condition, your doctor might recommend taking over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs. However, if your inflammation is more serious, then prescription drugs may be necessary. In the case of severe inflammation and pain, the doctor may recommend corticosteroid medications to reduce inflammation, and these drugs can be injected into a painful joint if needed. When you have psoriatic arthritis, the joints on both sides of your body or any joint could be affected. You might also have itchy and bothersome lesions on your skin. Anti-inflammatory drugs help both these internal and outer symptoms of this medical condition.

Prescription Medication

Your doctor can choose from a variety of drugs when treating your psoriatic arthritis. These drugs have different actions and different risks of side effects. Your doctor has to consider your condition, your age, other medications, and your overall health when deciding on the right medications to prescribe. Some options include disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, immune system suppressant drugs, biologic medications, enzyme inhibitors, and topical medications to soothe itchy skin lesions. Medications may be taken orally, applied to the skin, injected by the doctor, or taken by IV. You might even be required to self-inject medication on a periodic basis to keep your symptoms under control.

Joint Surgery

Your doctor may be able to manage your psoriatic arthritis with medication so you'll never need surgery. Also, if you make the necessary lifestyle changes, such as losing weight to relieve pressure on your joints, you might slow the progression of your condition. However, when these treatments fail and your joints cause pain or interfere with your mobility, then your doctor might recommend joint surgery. If a joint is damaged badly enough, a joint replacement procedure might be needed. Joint replacement surgery is usually a last resort, but it's an option to consider for relieving pain and increasing mobility so you have a better quality of life.

By working closely with your doctor, you can manage your condition as best possible and choose the right treatments that bring relief. Living with joint pain is challenging especially when it's combined with lesions of psoriasis. However, there are several psoriatic arthritis treatments your doctor can consider to help you find relief. Speak to a clinic such as Sarasota Arthritis Center to learn more.


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