3. You Focus on High-Impact Exercises
Running and jumping may not be good options if you have psoriatic arthritis, Kolba says, since they can put strain on your joints and accelerate the inflammatory process.
Kolba notes that walking puts up to two times your body weight in stress on your joints, while jogging puts five to eight times your body weight in stress on your joints.
“That’s a lot of stress for a joint that’s irritated or inflamed,” he adds. “There’s a tremendous amount of force coming up through the legs and into the spine.”
And any type of jumping or rapid form of resistance activity could be even worse for your joints. “Those activities just aren’t going to be tolerable in most people with joint issues,” says Kolba.
A study published in June 2018 in the journal Arthritis Care & Research, however, found that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) didn’t worsen disease activity and may help improve fatigue in people with psoriatic arthritis. And findings from a 2022 study confirmed that HIIT is generally safe for people with the disease. If you want to incorporate high-impact exercises into your workout routine, talk to your doctor or physical therapist about how to do so safely.
4. You Don’t Work on Balance
Lack of balance “is typically what leads to falls,” says Kolba, “and a lack of strength is typically what prevents you from catching yourself.”
Kolba notes that it’s common to lose strength and balance as you age or as an inflammatory condition such as psoriatic arthritis progresses. But you can take steps to work on improving your strength and balance. This means that to some extent, you can “minimize the progression of whatever arthritic changes you have,” Kolba says.
Make sure you include balance exercises in your overall workout plan. Try practicing yoga or tai chi along with stretching exercises before a more rigorous workout or on a low-key exercise day.