Can I weight train with PA?

Posted Fri 19 Nov 2021 10.46 by John159

I would like to say hello to the Forum Members and ask for some advice please. About 7 years after a very stressful time at work I developed my first psoriasis rash on my lower legs. I am a 63 year old man and was diagnosed with PA 5 years ago. The rheumatologists letter stated ""Some entheseal changes in his pelvis consistent with personal and family history of psoriasis". My father had very severe psoriasis. My skin is normally clear apart from the odd plaque. My joints havent really been bad just the odd flare up over the years but after I turned 60 things have got worse especially with my shoulders, knees and elbows. I dieted and lost 14kgs which helped but I lost a lot of muscle from my legs which then made my knees very unstable and painful. Over the years I have weight trained until having to stop with a bad back 5 years ago. I have now restarted training at a Gym which improved my joint strength, my lower back pain, mood, fitness and general wellbeing. My question is will weight training make my condition worse and cause my joints to deteriorate quicker than they would with PA? I do get joint pain after a workout but am currently fine tuning each exercise selection to minimise it. I would be very grateful for any advice, John

Posted Sun 21 Nov 2021 04.19 by OhNo_NotAgain?

I am not a medical person, and I do not generally have PA, maybe in a couple of fingers, but I do have osteo-arthritis. Medical advice to me has always been to excercise as much as I want, but not to the point of pain or where I feel increasing pain day on day. People with rheumatoid arthritis benefit from physio, and I would think that moderate weight training and exercise generally would be beneficial. But I would think you ought to avoid heavy weights or power-lifting and hi-intensity/high reps on the affected joints. Building and maintaining muscle tone around joints sounds pretty good, and my general understanding of arthritic conditions is that good muscle support of joints is a good thing. I think for a clear answer as to whether you can make the deterioration more rapid, I really think you need to speak to a specialist. Perhaps also contact the Psoriasis Association directly, via their contact details below "get in touch" at the bottom of this page. They might be able to give you some general advice around this.

Posted Mon 22 Nov 2021 09.14 by John159

Thank you for the info. Its hard figuring out if the gym makes my joints better or worse. I have pain and stiffness in my joints coming and going all the time. If I havent had a session in the gym for 3 days I can get an onset of pain or I can do a session and my joints are fine. The opposite can apply as well. Its very hard to determine the actual origin.

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