What is psoriatic arthritis and its common symptoms?

Psoriatic Arthritis is an autoimmune disease under which the patient suffers from psoriasis and arthritis simultaneously. It is a form of inflammatory arthritis due to which patient suffers from swelling, pain and damage to the joints. At the same time, the skin of the patient also experiences a feeling of itchiness, inflammation and irritation. Red rashes appear on the skin accompanied by scales and lesions. There are five different types of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis is also one among them and perhaps the major one.

Psoriatic arthritis symptoms-

Psoriatic arthritis is diagnosed by observing the symptoms of the disease. Some of the common symptoms of psoriatic arthritis are as mentioned below.
 

Pain in joints- The chief body parts which are affected by psoriatic arthritis include toes, ankle, knees, lower back, toes and fingers. All these body parts experience severe pain.

Swelling in joints- Various joints of the body and especially those of hands, fingers, toes, knees and elbows suffer from the problem of swelling.  The swelling is found along the entire length of the joint and this condition is known as Dactylitis.      

Tenderness- The patients of Psoriatic Arthritis more often suffer from the problem of tenderness or pain at the point of connection of tendons or ligaments with the bones. It is mostly found at the heel or bottom of the foot.

To get relief from psoriatic arthritis, various treatment methods are available which include topical methods, medications and the natural treatments. The topical method includes use of some oils, lotions of ointment for psoriasis so as to get relief from the irritation or inflammation of the skin. The medications for the psoriatic arthritis or any other form of psoriasis include use of various drugs to get relief from pain internally. Natural treatment methods include use of some herbs or home remedies for treatment purpose.

Arthritis herbal remedies- It is quite important to get relief from pain, swelling and inflammation in the joints caused due to psoriatic arthritis. For this, you may take help from some herbal remedies for arthritis.  

Lime and black coffee- It is a great herbal remedy to get relief from acute pain in the arthritis condition. You can add lime juice to black coffee and consume it empty stomach in the morning.

Yucca root and water- You can also have mashed Yucca root mixed with water to get relief from the condition of arthritis.

Cayenne Pepper- You may also try cayenne pepper mixed with water or fruit juice to get relief from arthritis pain.

Eucalyptus Oil- You may also apply a mixture of olive oil and eucalyptus oil over the areas which suffer from severe pain. It gives instant relief from pain and inflammation.

Aloe Vera- Similarly, you may also apply aloe Vera gel to the affected area. It may also be taken internally to get relief from pain and inflammation in the joints.

What is scalp psoriasis? How to treat it effectively?

Scalp psoriasis is a skin condition under which red, scaly and elevated patches are produced on the skin. There may be single to multiple patches on the skin and these sometimes affect the entire scalp. These may even spread to other surrounding body parts such as forehead, back of neck and behind the ears. Although it is a skin disorder, however it is not communicable.

The exact cause behind appearance of skin patches is not known. It sometimes occurs due to some malfunctioning of the immune system due to which the skin cells get multiplied rapidly. These lead to formation of skin patches. Since scalp psoriasis causes itching therefore it is quite important to treat it instantly.  psoriasis scalp treatment can be done by following some effective measures as mentioned below.

Topical treatment method- Under this method, the treatment products are directly and externally applied on the scalp. These products include shampoos, oils, gels, creams, ointments and soaps. Almost all these products are rich in coal tar or Salicylic acid or both. It is due to the reasons both these ingredients are effective in dealing with the problem of skin patches which appear due to scalp psoriasis.

Apart from this, some other products may also be used which contain anathralin, antimicrobials, calcipotriene and betamethasone or tazarotene. The most important point worth considering in topical treatments methods is that the products must be applied to the scalp thoroughly. Instructions mentioned on these products must be followed properly to get the desired results.

Removal of scales on the skin- During treatment of scalp psoriasis, always take care that the hairs or scales covering the skin patches must be removed in a harmless manner. You may wash your head with shampoos every now and then as it helps in accomplishing this task. Shampoos which contain selenium, tar or salicylic acid are effective in this regard. You may also rub the scales with your fingertips to remove them.

Use of Mineral oil- Since scalp psoriasis occurs due to excessive production of horny layer of the skin therefore it is quite important that a good mineral oil must be applied to the scalp intermittently. After application of mineral oil, the scalp may be covered with a swim cap or shower cap. Sometimes, addition of steroids to the mineral oil is also recommended in case the problem is severe.

Sea-salts- These are known to be quite effective in getting rid of itchiness caused due to scalp psoriasis. So you must use a shampoo that contains sea-salts or add sea salts to your shampoo to rinse your hairs.
 

  

Massaging with oils-The scalp must be massaged regularly with a mixture of aloe Vera and jojoba oils. It is quite effective in the treatment of scalp psoriasis. In addition to this, you may also use lavender oil, neem oil or eucalyptus oil to sooth the itching and promote hair growth.

Conditioning of the scalp- Proper conditioning of the scalp with a mixture of honey, avocado and olive oil is quite beneficial in reducing the symptoms of this skin condition.