Psoriatic arthritis is known for causing peripheral arthritis, oregon symptom successful the joints of the hands, wrists, knees, and ankles. But the information tin besides impact the spine and pelvis, causing backmost pain. In fact, backmost symptom is precise communal successful radical with psoriatic arthritis, says John Davis, III, MD , a objective rheumatologist who specializes successful psoriatic arthritis and axial spondyloarthritis astatine the Mayo Clinic successful Rochester, Minnesota. How Psoriatic Arthritis Can Affect the Spine Psoriatic arthritis is simply a chronic inflammatory information that tin origin symptom and stiffness successful immoderate associated successful your assemblage oregon anyplace the ligaments and tendons link to bone. When psoriatic arthritis specifically affects the joints successful the vertebrae of the spine, it’s known arsenic spondylitis oregon axial arthritis. Sacroiliitis is erstwhile psoriatic arthritis affects the joints betwixt your pelvis and spine, known arsenic your sacroiliac joints. “Spondylitis leads to inflammation astir the ligaments that clasp the spine together,” causing backmost pain, says Rajat Bhatt, MD , a rheumatologist astatine Prime Rheumatology successful Texas. The information causes abnormal bony maturation and erosion betwixt the vertebrae that whitethorn origin them to merge, which tin alteration your scope of motion. But backmost symptom tin person different causes successful radical with psoriatic arthritis. “[If] patients are overweight oregon obese and sedentary, mechanical backmost symptom [can] coexist with psoriatic arthritis,” explains Dr. Bhatt. How Common Is Spondylitis successful People Who Have Psoriatic Arthritis? According to the National Psoriasis Foundation , spondylitis affects 7 to 32 percent of radical surviving with psoriatic arthritis. However, these estimates whitethorn beryllium low. “Among patients with psoriatic arthritis, the beingness of axial involvement, including sacroiliitis and spondylitis, is astir apt underrecognized,” explains Dr. Davis. In fact, a 2021 reappraisal reported that axial illness successful radical with psoriatic arthritis could beryllium arsenic precocious arsenic 70 percent. According to the Arthritis Foundation , astir radical who person psoriatic arthritis are diagnosed with spondylitis earlier the property of 40, though the information tin look aboriginal successful life. And psoriatic arthritis–related backmost symptom is much communal successful men than women. People with axial arthritis whitethorn besides acquisition much associated harm and nail changes from psoriatic arthritis. A 2018 survey analyzed 1,530 radical with psoriatic arthritis and recovered that the 12.5 percent who had spondylitis were besides much apt to person enthesitis, oregon inflammation wherever tendons and ligaments connect to bone. Symptoms of Psoriatic Arthritis successful the Spine According to Davis, erstwhile psoriatic arthritis affects the spine, you whitethorn experience: Back symptom that gets worse with remainder and amended erstwhile you’re moving Back stiffness successful the greeting that lasts astatine slightest 30 minutes Inflammatory symptom astir your hips and butt (your sacroiliac joints) Reduced scope of question Back symptom tin persist for up to 10 years earlier it’s linked to psoriatic arthritis oregon different related disease, says the Arthritis Foundation . According to a 2020 reappraisal , the delayed diagnosis tin pb to unchecked inflammation and structural damage. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan allows your doc to spot changes successful the bones and brushed tissues of the spine and pelvis to diagnose spondylitis. How to Tell if Back Pain Is Related to Psoriatic Arthritis oregon Something Else If your backmost is bothering you, it’s important to cheque successful with your doc to get to the basal cause. Ankylosing spondylitis is 1 information that’s often confused with psoriatic arthritis. “Both psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis are successful the household of ‘spondyloarthritis’ and are highly related,” explains Davis. Ankylosing spondylitis is different benignant of inflammatory arthritis. It causes the vertebrae successful the spine to fuse, resulting successful backmost pain. People with ankylosing spondylitis are much apt to suffer spinal mobility than those with axial-psoriatic arthritis, though the second whitethorn suffer scope of motion. Most radical with axial-psoriatic arthritis besides person symptom successful their peripheral joints — hands, feet, ankles — but it’s imaginable to acquisition backmost symptom only. Ultimately, imaging of your backmost volition assistance your doc find whether you person axial-psoriatic arthritis oregon ankylosing spondylitis. “Although determination is overlap, determination are immoderate subtle differences successful the appearances of X-ray changes successful some the sacroiliac joints and the spine,” explains Davis. Another communal origin for discomfort is mechanical backmost pain, which is linked to an injury. If you’re obese, it whitethorn beryllium caused by added value connected your spine. Unlike spondylitis, which is usually amended erstwhile you determination and worse with rest, mechanical backmost symptom is worse erstwhile you determination and amended with rest, according to some Davis and Bhatt. Mechanical backmost symptom besides tends to origin little backmost stiffness erstwhile you aftermath up, whereas spondylitis causes lingering greeting stiffness, Davis adds. That said, it’s casual to mistake symptoms of 1 information for the other. “What appears to beryllium mechanical symptom could beryllium inflammatory pain, and what appears to beryllium inflammatory symptom could beryllium mechanical pain,” says Bhatt. People who person psoriatic arthritis whitethorn besides person backmost symptom linked to a fig of different causes, says Davis, including: osteoarthritis of the spine, besides known arsenic degenerative associated illness of the spine spinal stenosis , oregon the narrowing of spaces successful your spine that triggers nervus symptom fibromyalgia , oregon wide musculoskeletal symptom that’s thought to hap erstwhile the encephalon processes symptom otherwise than mean cardinal sensitization, a information wherever the cardinal tense strategy amplifies the sensation of symptom “It’s a precise analyzable topic, truthful it’s champion to inquire a doctor,” says Bhatt. “There are definite tests your doc tin tally to corroborate the close diagnosis.” How Psoriatic Arthritis successful the Spine Is Treated If you deliberation you mightiness person spondylitis, speech to your doctor. Early attraction reduces the hazard of progressive nonaccomplishment of spinal mobility and function. A fig of treatments tin assistance trim symptom and different symptoms associated with spondylitis successful radical with psoriatic arthritis, including: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), specified arsenic ibuprofen and aspirin Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) , specified arsenic methotrexate, leflunomide, sulfasalazine Biologic drugs , including interleukin (IL)-12, IL-17, oregon IL-23 inhibitors (such arsenic guselkumab, ixekizumab, secukinumab, ustekinumab) arsenic good arsenic tumor necrosis origin (TNF) inhibitors (such arsenic adalimumab, etanercept, certolizumab, infliximab, golimumab) Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors (such arsenic tofacitinib and upadacitinib) Corticosteroid injections Physical therapy You’ll apt beryllium connected astatine slightest 1 of these treatments agelong term, due to the fact that likelihood are bully that it volition work. “Most patients improve, and we spot reasonably precocious rates of remission,” says Davis. Additional reporting by Nina Wasserman .