Question
hi, i have had psoriatic athritis for 7 years (since i was 22) and it has caused deformaty in my fingers, toes and wrists . when x rayed  the rheumatologist said they didn't look too bad but are still very painful. i currently take methotrexate 17.5 mg injection, hydroxychloriquin 400 mg ,strong pain killers and anti inflammatory tablets and the odd steroid injection .  as the x rays aren't too bad does this mean that the bones aren't damaged in psoriatic arthritis just tendons and ligaments? i also have hypomobility is this caused by the arthritis or just made worse by it? thanks you in advance. nicci

Answer
Hi nicci,

Hypomobility is caused by many things, in your case it is from the inflammation and inevitable joint deterioration. I would ask your doctor about ENBREL, it is a new drug that minimizes PsA in moderate to severe cases. Just because your x-rays look normal, doesn't mean you don't or will soon have a serious problem. getting it to slow down in it's early stages can pay big dividends in the future. I would also take it with Glucosamine, this is clinically proven to help OA patients. It couldn't hurt to use it until the trials are completed for other arthropathies.

Good Luck,

Dr. Timothy Durnin
drs.chiroweb.com