Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) can affect any one joint or several joints in the body. In some people, PsA affects the wrist joints, causing them to become stiff, swollen, and painful. Aside from being uncomfortable, PsA in the wrists can affect your ability to perform everyday tasks.

PsA is a form of long-term inflammatory arthritis that causes swelling, stiffness, and pain in the joints. PsA is an autoimmune disease. This means that it develops when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks its healthy tissues.

PsA in the wrists can be treated in several ways. A rheumatologist is a doctor who specializes in diseases of the joints, bones, and muscles. They can help identify PsA in your wrists and guide you toward the right treatment.

What Does Psoriatic Arthritis in the Wrists Feel Like?

MyPsoriasisTeam members often talk about their PsA symptoms. Some share what it’s like to have PsA affect their wrists.

As one member wrote, they have “aching pain” in their wrists as well as their elbows, finger joints, and ankles due to their PsA. Another member similarly shared that they sometimes “can’t stand” the pain in their wrists and finger joints.

Some MyPsoriasisTeam members find that their PsA-related wrist pain gets worse in different situations. One described experiencing a flare as the result of physical exertion: “I had a flare-up of my arthritis on my wrists today — I’ve been working too hard, I think.”

Other MyPsoriasisTeam members experience worsened PsA symptoms depending on the weather. As one member said, “I dislike cold weather. My knees and arms, as well as my wrists and hands, hurt badly. Flare-ups also occur more when it’s cold, but I’m seeing more of a flare-up on my wrists and arms.”

However, as another member shared, heat and humidity can also affect PsA symptoms: “It’s blistering hot today, and the humidity triggered a flare-up in my wrists. When I woke up, my wrists and other joints were so painful.”

Impacts of Psoriatic Arthritis in the Wrists

As with PsA in any joint, the symptoms of PsA in the wrists can be mild and develop slowly or be severe and sudden. These symptoms can have many different impacts on daily life.

Peripheral Arthritis

PsA doesn’t look the same in everyone. It can affect different joints in different ways:

• Axial arthritis — Affects the spine
• Asymmetrical oligoarticular arthritis — Usually affects larger joints such as the knees, elbows, ankles, and wrists
• Symmetrical polyarthritis — Usually affects smaller joints in the hands and feet, including the wrists
• Distal interphalangeal arthritis — Affects the outermost joints of the fingers
• Arthritis mutilans — A severe form that damages smaller joints

The last four types in the list above are forms of peripheral arthritis, meaning PsA that affects joints outside the spine. According to the Arthritis Foundation, peripheral arthritis is common in people with PsA. Peripheral arthritis may cause discomfort that moves from one joint to another and, if left untreated, can cause pain lasting from a few days to several weeks.

Daily Tasks

Having painful, swollen, or stiff wrist joints can affect your ability to use those joints in daily tasks.

As one MyPsoriasisTeam member shared, “I cannot pick up anything. My wrists cannot take any weight.” Another wrote that, although they experienced hip and leg pain the previous day, their PsA symptoms now affected their wrists, making it “hard to type this morning.”

As another member described, arthritis can have long-term effects on your joints’ mobility: “I also have arthritis in my wrists,” they wrote, “and I can’t turn the right wrist anymore.”

Treating and Managing Psoriatic Arthritis in the Wrists

Regardless of where your PsA symptoms are, treatment for PsA aims to reduce inflammation and relieve joint discomfort.

Let your healthcare provider know if you have symptoms of PsA in one or both wrists. Studies have shown that delaying diagnosis or medical treatment by just six months after first noticing PsA symptoms is linked to worse outcomes, including more joint damage and trouble moving your joints.

Diagnosing PsA may involve X-rays, ultrasound, or blood tests. After your doctor has identified PsA as the cause of your wrist symptoms, they will work with you to find the right treatment or combination of treatments. There’s no specific blood test for PsA, but blood tests can be used to:

• Look for other types of inflammatory arthritis.
• Check blood markers that show inflammation.
• Decide whether certain medications are safe and effective for you.

Your healthcare provider or a rheumatology expert may prescribe or recommend the following treatments for your PsA-related wrist symptoms.

Medications

One of the main goals of treating PsA with medication is to reduce and control inflammation. Medication helps reduce joint pain and prevent long-term joint damage.

Several medications may be used to manage PsA in the wrists.

Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, can help relieve pain and reduce inflammation caused by PsA.

Your doctor may recommend over-the-counter NSAIDs, like ibuprofen (Advil) and naproxen (Aleve), for mild-to-moderate symptoms or prescribe stronger options for more severe discomfort.

Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs

Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) work by reducing inflammation and slowing down the progression of PsA. Newer DMARDs work by interfering with specific aspects of the immune system involved in inflammation.

If standard DMARDs aren’t successful in treating your PsA, your doctor may prescribe a certain type of DMARD known as a biologic, which is a medicine made from living cells that targets specific parts of the immune system. Biologic therapies don’t work right away. They may take up to three months to start having a noticeable effect on PsA symptoms.

Steroid Injections

Steroid injections are given by a healthcare provider directly into the affected joints. They can quickly reduce inflammation and ease wrist pain and discomfort. These injections can relieve symptoms for weeks to months. Steroid injections are generally avoided, since injecting through psoriatic skin can make lesions worse.

As always, talk to your doctor about the benefits and potential side effects associated with steroid injections.

Physical and Occupational Therapy

Physical therapy can help you maintain the use of your wrists while managing PsA-related pain and stiffness. A licensed physical therapist will work with you to assess your mobility and movements and address your unique needs.

Occupational therapists provide alternative ways of performing daily activities to reduce joint pain and strain. They can work with you to figure out whether adaptive equipment or changes in your environment could help reduce stress on your joints. For example, replacing round doorknobs or faucet handles with lever-style handles may be helpful for painful wrists.

Work With Your Doctor

PsA in the wrists can cause pain, stiffness, and difficulty with everyday activities, but there are many ways to manage symptoms and protect joint health. Working closely with your doctor and treatment team can help you find the right plan to reduce discomfort, maintain mobility, and improve your quality of life.

Join the Conversation

On MyPsoriasisTeam, people share their experiences with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, get advice, and find support from others who understand.

Do you have psoriatic arthritis that affects your wrists? What treatment has worked for you? Let others know in the comments below.