7 Assistive Devices That Make Living With Psoriatic Arthritis a Bit Easier
By Meghan Rabbitt
of Prevention
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There’s nothing quite like physical pain to make you dread doing even the simplest tasks—whether it’s twisting a door handle open or blow-drying your hair. For the 1 million adults in the U.S. who have psoriatic arthritis (PsA), a form of arthritis that affects some people who have psoriasis, these types of everyday activities can feel downright impossible due to the stiffness, swelling, and reduced range of motion in their joints.
“Because PsA is a chronic inflammatory disease that can affect multiple areas of the body, daily activities can present big challenges,” says Maura Daly Iversen, P.T., D.P.T., a spokesperson for the American Physical Therapy Association and a professor of public health and physical therapy at Sacred Heart University.“The irony is that when you’re in a lot of pain, it can be tempting to reduce your level of activity—but with an inflammatory disease like PsA, moving can actually help relieve some inflammation in your joints.”