I fell back in March and fractured a few bones. Since then I’ve noticed that my PsA has become aggressive and progressing quickly. I have many more flare ups than ever before. Has anyone else experienced this. If so, any thoughts on what may help to calm these flare ups?
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That stinks. Yes, injuries, illness, surgery, even stress, can cause flares. I would strongly encourage you to talk to your rheumatologist about this. They may be able to give you some strategies to manage, whether it’s a temporary med adjustment, or a longer term plan.
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Yup very common. Called the Koebner Effect.
But the broken bone thing is concerning. Either it was an H of a fall or something else is going on. Have they or are they talking about some Bone density testing, the relationship isn’t clear cut but that is the result of more folks taking anti TNFs. There was a clear relationship prior… there are other reasons for loss of density too.
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I actually just had a bone density test and it showed some bone loss but not much. My fall was a simple fall from simply walking to my car
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Flare ups seem to be almost a daily occurrence now. My rheumatologist upped my cymbalta and in on otezla and plaquenil
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Have you previously been helped with Otezla? I tried it, did nothing for me, didn’t even clear up my psoriasis.
Hope you find something that works!
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Pity the Reverse Koebner effect which is available in psoriasis (it thankfully happened to get rid of all my psoriasis when I badly fractured my shoulder in my 30’s) does seem to be around much in PsA or that’s my experience to date. I still have no psoriasis now aged 57.
Indeed I remained convinced it was the shock of a bunion correction operation that ignited my PsA all of a sudden in the first place, so a classic Keobner effect.
Around 18 months after getting PsA virtually overnight, I discovered I had two hairline fractures in my pelvis from simply no injury or fall whatsoever. Only two things came to mind. I ran or attempted to run up the stairs in a panic about something and the previous day I had climbed over a stile in a field. But there was nothing else.
I had though been on steroids for far too long so massive panic ensued and I was sent off for a bone densisty test. Pelvis was rock solid fine. Neck however showed very slight beginnings of osteopenia. Please tell me what other post menopausal women doesn’t have the same signs??? Or something similar.
But it has remained a complete mystery as to why I developed these hairline fractures in my pelvis. I’ve not since broken or fractured anything else thankfully, despite falling or tripping over things.
But I consider it all to have been a part of just PsA.
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Every part of me that’s currently painful and swollen is directly related to some sort of initiating biomechanical stress. Maybe I’ll just roll myself in bubble-wrap until the Humira kicks in…
I’m torn between resting everything as much as possible and trying to whatever I can to strengthen the areas that haven’t been wrecked yet. Is that just overly optimistic?
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@Jon_sparky, I’m beginning to think the otezla is not doing anything for me but I also need to give it a bit longer to be in my system. I had started it then stopped for months due to an infection & my injuries. Started back on it a couple of months ago.
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Yes, you should give it 6 months, if you can tolerate it. My dermatologist said it was really having disappointing results. But everyone is different, some people get help from it.
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