First and foremost, psoriatic arthritis hurts. People who suffer from the condition have pain in joints such as the hands, feet, spine, hips and knees. Skin findings are usual but are not an automatic finding in psoriatic arthritis. Nail psoriasis and pustular psoriasis are common types of psoriasis associated with psoriatic arthritis. Nail psoriasis is especially associated with those who have psoriasis of the hands and feet.
Usually the skin psoriasis occurs first and predates the arthritis aspect of the condition by as much as 20 years. If you have psoriasis or a family history of psoriasis, you need to be wary of the possibility that you can get psoriatic arthritis.
Up to thirty percent of those that have psoriatic arthritis also get inflammation of the eyes, such as conjunctivitis. Seven percent of those affected by eye symptoms get iritis, which is a severe inflammation of the iris of the eye. Other common areas of inflammation that do not involve joints themselves are the tendons of the heel and the sole of the feet (plantar fasciitis).
When you first get psoriatic arthritis, the symptoms are generally severe. The pain can be as severe as gout and you may not be able to walk. In milder cases, you can only have joint stiffness and a bit of pain without the deformity so common with psoriatic arthritis.