How Learning to Swim Helped Me Manage My PsA Symptoms

Swimming twice a week has been transformative for my physical and mental health.

I didn’t learn to swim as a child. I don’t know if it was because my parents were too busy to put me into consistent swimming lessons or if I simply showed no interest in the water — it was just something I never ended up mastering in my childhood.

It never really bothered me, either. It was a kind of a fun fact about myself that I could pull out at pool parties with friends. I never felt like I was missing out on anything when I could just grab a pool noodle and float around while the rest of my friends would splash around beside me.

Fast forward to adulthood where I travel on a monthly basis for work, often covering cruise ships and beachfront resorts as a travel writer. My lack of know-how when it came to swimming started to become a burden when I would have to sit out activities I was expected to write about later.

After going through a breakup and moving into a new apartment next to a community pool, I decided it was high time I signed up for adult swimming lessons.

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Exercising while managing PsA

Now, I want you to keep in mind that I’ve been on methotrexate for a couple of years now and manage my psoriatic arthritis (PsA) pretty well these days. I still have stiffness and swelling from time to time, but compared to 3 years ago when I quite literally could not walk due to joint pain, I am doing very well.

Before I started seeing a rheumatologist, I was in so much pain that I couldn’t move and gained 50 pounds in a very short period of time. It made me so self-conscious and embarrassed. My body felt foreign to me.

I started doing all kinds of different workouts once I was feeling better and being monitored by a doctor — it almost felt like my own form of revenge for my lack of mobility before being properly diagnosed.

I never shy away from a new workout trend or, in this case, finally taking the plunge and learning to swim. I’ve also taken a liking to strength training and Pilates, but nothing has been quite as significant as swimming in terms of gaining confidence and feeling comfortable in my body again.

The positive effects of swimming twice a week

I’ve been swimming twice a week since the beginning of this year, and aside from the positive effects on my mental health, I’ve also noticed that the gentle approach to working out has been incredible for my lingering joint pain and stiffness.

Being in the water has helped me rehabilitate my tight and somewhat weakened hip joints that things like yoga and Pilates didn’t.

It’s not just in my head, either. In fact, according to a 2020 research review, the buoyancy of the water actually allows you to move your limbs and joints more easily through their normal range of motion. This approach helps keep joints flexible and improves overall flexibility.

Transformation through swimming

Swimming, as it turns out, places minimal stress on the joints even when compared to other low impact workouts like yoga. This buoyancy allowed me to repair the range of motion in the joints that had been most affected by my PsA (especially my hips). As a result, everyday movements like sitting at my desk or going for long walks no longer hurt or felt uncomfortable.

I noticed I was no longer walking with any trace of a limp, and I was able to sit more comfortably for longer periods of time in the cross-legged position. This would have been nearly unthinkable before I made swimming part of my weekly routine.

Finding a workout I enjoy keeps me motivated and grateful

The other thing that really helped me commit to swimming above other forms of physical activity was that the low impact was bearable even when I was having slight flare-ups. I never had to psyche myself up to go to a swimming lesson or pop a prescription meloxicam before showing up. I knew the buoyancy of the water would actually relieve the pain I was experiencing — if temporarily — while I worked on my range of motion and overall fitness.

I feel so grateful to have started swimming at my community pool. Figuring out the proper strokes and just generally gaining confidence in the water felt incredible on so many levels.

I learned to trust and appreciate my body again after a horrible path to getting diagnosed with PsA. Developing a new skill gave me so much natural serotonin.

As someone who had next to no prior experience with swimming, being a grown adult in the kiddy pool and learning the basics felt humbling at first, but the benefits I’ve seen so far are more than enough to keep me coming back week after week.