Influence of Non-pharmacological Treatment on Pain, Morning Stiffness, Fatigue, and Physical Function in Patients with Psoriatic Arthritis

Naphthalanotherapy (NT) is a therapeutic procedure that uses mineral oil obtained from petroleum. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of the duration of NT combined with an individually adjusted rehabilitation program (IARP) on pain, morning stiffness (MS), fatigue, and physical function in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA). A total of 29 consecutive patients with PsA were divided into two groups. Group 1 (n=17) participated in a two-week and Group 2 (n=12) in a three-week intervention program. Pain (using the Visual Analogue Scale – VAS), fatigue (VAS and Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue – FACIT-F), duration of MS (minutes), and physical function (Health Assessment Questionnaire – HAQ) were assessed before and after therapy. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 20, with P