Ankylosing spondylitis (AS)

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a type of chronic (long-term) arthritis that affects parts of the spine, including bones, muscles and ligaments.
Arthritis is a common condition that causes pain and inflammation of the joints and tissues around them.
The symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis can vary, but most people experience back pain and stiffness. The condition can be severe, with around one in 10 people at risk of long-term disability.

What causes ankylosing spondylitis?

In ankylosing spondylitis, the spinal joints, ligaments and the sacroiliac joints (the joints at the base of the spine) become inflamed. This inflammation causes pain and stiffness in the neck and back. Sacroiliitis (inflammation of the sacroiliac joints) leads to pain in the lower back and buttocks.
It is not known what causes the condition, but there is thought to be a link with a particular gene known as HLA-B27.

Treating ankylosing spondylitis

There is no cure for ankylosing spondylitis. The aim of treatment is to ease the pain and stiffness and to keep the spine flexible. Treatment includes:

• Physiotherapy – where physical methods, such as massage and manipulation, are used to improve comfort and spinal flexibility (only the muscles and soft tissue should be manipulated and never the bones of the spine – manipulating bones in people with ankylosing spondylitis can cause injury)
• Medication – helps relieve pain and control symptoms
• Lifestyle changes – to minimise the risk of other health conditions and improve symptoms

Complications

Inflammation of part of the eye (uveitis) is sometimes associated with ankylosing spondylitis. If you have ankylosing spondylitis and develop pain or redness in one of your eyes, you should urgently see your GP as it can lead to loss of vision.  

In advanced cases of ankylosing spondylitis, the pain and stiffness can lead to your posture becoming fixed in one position.

Who is affected?

Ankylosing spondylitis can develop at any time from teenage years onwards, although it usually occurs between 15 and 35 years of age and rarely starts in old age. It is around three times more common in men than in women.

Further info on the treatment of AS can be found HERE

Back Pain Treatment

How to relieve back pain

Doctors often prescribe a variety of exercises, diets, stretch exercises, etc to relieve back pain. According to statistics, more than 200 million Americans alone suffer back pain. Some patients endure surgery, while others find ways to minimize the pain. Unfortunately, some people turn to alcohol and drugs to relieve such pain.

When pain is chronic, it makes it difficult to cope with daily duties. Most pain in the back starts at the lower region. With so much suffering, many people make a hobby out of finding relief.

Back pain mild or chronic can slow activities, mobility, and so on. While there are, many medical causes and sometimes-mysterious causes the fact is the majority of people in the world fail to maintain ROM of the joints by stretching and exercising regularly.

For this reason, back pain is the number one cause of time loss and money spent. The fact is back pain alone is one of the prime reasons that people must call in to work sick. According to statistics, the increase in back pains the total estimate of loss and medical costs soars up to $60 billion dollars annually.

Some people are lucky. That is some people mysterious experience back pain and in a few months, the pain vanishes, never returning. Lucky dogs!

While the large percentage of people soon recover naturally from back pain, another percentage makes up 100 and these people find relief by modifying their weight, adjusting sitting arrangements, and stretching.

Still, others suffer enduring back pain. Some of these people will sit inappropriately in chairs, or on couches until they lower back finally dents, forming the shape of the chair position they had sit. These people often spend a lifetime indulging in over-the-counter meds, such as analgesics. If they would get off the couch, align the back with stretch exercises and support of Chiropractors, thus the pain may disappear.

Still, other people suffer life-long back pain due to injuries, trauma, disease, and so on. The downside is these people rarely get the treatment they deserve, since it is rarely recommended by doctors. In short, doctors will often recommend over-the-counter medications, i.e. painkillers to resolve the problem. Doctors rarely tell patients to exercise, diet, etc. Sometimes you may hear, “Loose some weight,” yet the doctor will rarely tell the patient how it is done.

Painkillers work to eliminate inflammation and sometimes pain, yet what doctors fail to tell the patients is that some of these painkillers are in fact killers. In addition, painkillers do not have the same affect on all persons. For sure, some painkillers will reduce pain for some, while others may continue hurting.

This leads us to drug addictions and alcoholism, since these people need help coping with the pain, and if doctors are not offering that help, thus drugs and alcohol is the answer. We have another problem.

In view of the facts, back pain recoveries lay behind information. When a patient has an idea as to what is causing his/her pain, thus he/she can move to treatments that help them to find relief.

Fact: When a person is aware of cause, effect, only then can he take action to eliminate the cause. When a person is aware of cause, he moves to acceptance, in turn acceptance moves him to act.

How do I find the cause?

You find the cause by researching your condition. Once you begin research your eyes will open, which leads you to discuss with your doctor, treatments to eliminate your pain. Doctors prescribe medicines, recommend tests, and encourage surgeries in some instances, thus these people rarely focus on REAL HEALTH, which includes exercise.

Exercise has proven to reduce even the worst back pain. Exercise has gone as far as proven to prevent death from internal injuries. Most people would ordinary die after six months from internal injuries; however, one person stood against doctors and should them that exercise is the gatekeeper to good health.