Psoriasis Exercise

Psoriasis happens when your skin cells grow in days rather than weeks because of an incorrect signal to the immune system. The skin cells cover each other forming lesions. A common area to find psoriasis is in the scalp but it can be found other places on the body like the elbow and knees. Untreated, it can become psoriatic arthritis with the joint pain typically associated with other forms of arthritis.

Who Gets It?

• Anyone can get psoriasis, though in America, it is nearly twice as likely to be found in Caucasians (2.5 percent) than African Americans (1.3 percent), according to Skincarephysicians.com. Male and females have an equal chance of developing it. However, it does seem to run in families. Currently, there are about 7 million Americans with psoriasis and about 150,000 developing it each year.

When Does It Develop?

• Psoriasis can develop at any age. The first occurrence is most-likely to manifest between 15 and 30 years old with 75 percent of the people who develop it, seeing it develop before age 40. The next most common time for psoriasis to develop is between 50 and 60 years old, according to Skincarephyscians.com.

Obesity

• Obesity is considered a risk factor for psoriasis. Not only has being overweight been found to increase your chances of psoriasis, but the skin folds that develop with obesity are likely areas for plaques (psoriasis lesions) to develop.

Exercise

• Exercise can help you fight psoriasis, though no studies have been conducted to show the connection. One thing is that exercise will help you maintain a healthy weight and avoid the obesity trigger factor. Exercise will also help you maintain your flexibility in the joints that can be affected by psoriatic arthritis. The psoriatic arthritis can inflame the joints though, so non-impact exercises like cycling or swimming should be done. Tai chi is considered very beneficial because it encourages stretching of the body.