With psoriatic arthritis (PsA), everyday movements can be extremely uncomfortable. Regular exercise, such as running, can strengthen joints and ease symptoms. Here’s how to start.

While it’s tempting to rest your achy joints when you experience PsA symptoms, too muchrest can actually do more harm than good. Over time, your joints will soften so that activities may become even more painful.

Doctors recommend regular exercise as a means of helping ease PsA symptoms by reducing pain-causing inflammation. Plus, it can aid in preventing the number of arthritis flare-ups you might experience.

But if you’re too uncomfortable to move, what can you do? Read on to learn about eight of the ways you can move better with PsA.

Running is a high impact activity, and experts usually recommend people with psoriatic arthritis to try out lower impact forms of exercise, such as swimming, walking, or biking. This is to keep the pressure off their joints, which could potentially damage them.

However, people with psoriatic arthritis can choose to run if their symptoms are well managed or not debilitating. If safely done, running can benefit your joints and ease your symptoms.

The Arthritis Foundation lists some of the following tips on how to run safely with psoriatic arthritis:

  • User proper form: Try to avoid putting less stress on both your upper and lower joints to decrease the risk of injury. You should align your foot with your knee when your foot hits the ground, and not raise your knees too high. Run lightly and avoid pounding.
  • Have appropriate footwear: You need the right shoes to get started. Try to reach out to a specialist to get advice on what the best footwear would be for you.
  • Try softer surfaces: Choose smoother trails and paths, or try running in a pool for lower impact on your joints.
  • Shorten your stride: A shorter stride means less stress on your joints.
  • Warm up and stretch: Warming up and stretching can help you prevent injuries and will prepare your body for the high intensity exercise ahead.
  • Strengthen your core: By strengthening your abdominal, pelvic, and the muscles surrounding your hips you’ll improve body alignment and stability.
  • Never ignore foot pain. A minor foot injury could turn into a major injury and then it would affect your other joints as you run.
  • Consider a brace: A brace, sleeve, wrap, or kinesiology tape or kinseo tape may help support your joints when you run.
  • Monitor your running progress: Progress slowly, increasing your running distance, time and pace gradually.Try to alternate running with other lower impact exercises such as swimming, walking, or cycling.

Some people with PsA may be able to run without experiencing any negative outcomes, while some may experience a host of uncomfortable symptoms even from lower impact and lower intensity exercise like walking.

Before starting running, you should consult your doctor and rheumatologist and ask for their opinion an advice on whether and how you should start. Everyone’s experience will be different, and you need to consider the severity of your individual symptoms first.

Running when you’re already experiencing severe pain or have a flare-up could be more damaging than helpful and you might end up with an injury.

If you’re not able to run, you can try out some other forms of exercise that may be more suitable for you or ways to improve your symptoms. These include

  • Bing flexible first: The National Psoriasis Foundation recommends 15 minutes of stretching as the core of your daily workout. Flexibility exercises help prep your joints for more intense workouts, and these types of stretching routines can also help prevent injuries. For a more comprehensive workout, consider yoga or tai chi. These also carry the added benefit of deep breathing exercises, which can help alleviate stress and improve sleep.
  • Walking toward improved symptoms: Walking is perhaps one of the best activities you can do with PsA. This is especially true if you are new to exercise, or haven’t done a lot of physical activity in a while.
  • Using the resistance of water: Swimming is another low impact cardiovascular workout that is preferable for arthritis because of the added resistance of the water. Even walking around in a swimming pool is a beneficial workout.
  • Trying cycling: Cycling also serves as good way to get a low impact workout. Just be sure you have a bike that fits your size. You may want to consider a unisex frame to make mounting and dismounting easier.
  • Building muscle safely: Although there is natural resistance in some forms of aerobic exercise, such as walking and swimming, you may consider moving up to strength-training exercises to build muscle. Aside from helping to burn calories, muscle mass can also help protect your joints from stress and injury.
  • Wearing the right supportive gear: Moving around comfortably is contingent on having the right gear that can support your joints. Knee braces for walks can support knee joints, while walking shoes can support joints in your knees, hips, and back.
  • Losing excess weight: With PsA, your joints may already be inflamed and achy. Extra body weight can compound the problem by placing added pressure on already irritated joints. You might consider talking to your doctor about ways you can safely lose weight with PsA treatment. In addition to exercise, they may recommend specific dietary considerations that can help.
  • Moving with your doctor’s advice in mind: Moving around regularly is just one of the keys to improved well-being with PsA. Before starting any new exercise, be sure to discuss plans with your doctor first. They might have some safety concerns, as well as helpful tips that can ensure your success.

PsA can make moving uncomfortable. But once you gradually build your activity level, you’ll likely reap the benefits when it’s combined with your ongoing treatment plan.

Studies show clear benefits of exercise in PsA on well-being, disease activity, and low risk of flare-ups induced by exercise.

There are ways to run safely if you and your doctor think it would ease your symptoms and improve your quality of life.