Health Blurbs

Ankylosing spondylitis is one of over a hundred forms of arthritis.  It primarily causes spinal and pelvic joint pain and inflammation. Although other joints can be involved as well.

Ankylosing spondylitis is believed to be a hereditary autoimmune disease that is more common in men. Also referred to as spondylitis or rheumatoid spondylitis, ankylosing spondylitis is a chronically painful condition.

In severe cases, ankylosing spondylitis can lead to spinal fusion in a fixed forward stooping position, known as kyphosis. Its severity varies and not all sufferers experience slouching spinal fusion.  Some may only experience back or hip pain sporadically.

Typically, the initial symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis are pain and stiffness in your lower back and hips. Symptoms are particularly felt during sleep time, upon waking or after intervals of inactivity.

At any point, your symptoms can get worse, improve or stop.  If your condition progresses, you may further experience:

• fatigue
• mild fever
• weight loss
• loss of appetite
• inability to expand chest
• chronic hip & lower back pain
• stiff, inflexible spine causing slouching & stooping
• pain & tenderness spreads to neck, ribs, shoulder blades, knee, foot joints

These symptoms can start as early as late teens. Your inflammation can also cause resulting complications such as:

• uveitis
• anemia
• inflammatory bowel disease
• bowel inflammation ~ associated with Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis

It is imperative that your ankylosing spondylitis treatment gets started prior its causing irreversible slouching fusion and joint damage. Therefore, if you are encountering persistent back or hip pain and stiffness pay a visit to a health care expert for diagnosis.

And don’t delay a rheumatologist (arthritis doc) visit if you are a young male with spondylitis suffering relatives.

Treatment medications are available that may prevent or delay a stooped spine deformity, along with assisting in the relief of pain and stiffness.  Medications routinely prescribed or recommended:

• NSAIDs ~ naproxen, indomethacin
• corticosteroids, such as prednisone ~ suppresses inflammation & slows joint damage, may be injected directly
• disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs ~ helps limit joint damage, side effects include low blood counts & liver damage
• tumor necrosis factor blockers ~ helps reduce pain, stiffness, tender or swollen joints, risk of reactivating latent infections (tuberculosis) & certain neurological problems

Should your condition deteriorate to the point of causing your upper body to stoop forward.  Then upright posturing techniques can be used to ensure your spine fuses in a non slouched position.

Physical therapy may be ordered to provide this benefit.  Additionally, this course of treatment bestows exercises designed for:

• pain relief
• sustain & enhance lung capacity
• improved physical strength & flexibility

Complementary and alternative medicine treatment has benefited some with back and hip joint pain of ankylosing spondylitis.  Such treatments encompass:

• yoga ~ tailored to your needs
• acupuncture ~ how it works is unclear
• massage ~ temporary pain relief & stress reduction
• deep tissue mobilization ~ passive stretches & ultrasound heat or ice
• transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation ~ passes electric current to nerve cells

These procedures are not universally tolerated.  Some come away with increased pain or their disease having a flare up.

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