Influences of methotrexate iontophoresis on functional lifestyle disabilities, functional capacity, and pain in patients with plantar psoriasis

OBJECTIVES: This study was aimed to evaluating the influences of methotrexate iontophoresis on functional lifestyle disabilities, functional capacity, and pain after a 6-min walking distance (6MWD) test in patients with plantar psoriasis (PP). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty‑five patients (29 females, 16 males; mean age 33.9±6.6 years; range, 20 to 45 years) with hyperkeratotic PP were enrolled in the randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-groups, double-blinded study. They were assigned randomly into the active methotrexate iontophoresis (MI) group (n=23) and the placebo iontophoresis group (n=22). The patients in both groups were assessed before starting the treatment intervention and after completing eight sessions of the treatment intervention through functional lifestyle disabilities measured on the Arabic version of psoriasis disability index, functional capacity using the 6MWD test, and pain after the 6MWD test. RESULTS: The pre-treatment measurements of the three variables among the two groups did not reveal statistically significant differences (p>0.05). However, there were statistically significant differences in the post-treatment results between the two groups (p<0.05). Additionally, the pre-and post-treatment values of the three outcome measures revealed statistically significant differences within the MI group (p<0.05). In contrast, there were no significant differences within the placebo group (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Methotrexate iontophoresis is effective in improving functional lifestyle disabilities, enhancing functional capacity, and decreasing pain in patients with PP.