Ankylosing spondylitis is one of the rare types of arthritis, and it will cause stiffness and pain in the spine. It is also called the Bechterew disease, and it is a lifelong condition that often starts in your lower back. But, it could spread to your neck, and it can damage joints in other parts of your body.
While there might be no cure for ankylosing spondylitis, there are medications and exercise that can help with pain while keeping your back strong. If that is what you are interested in, you can talk to a ankylosing spondylitis doctor in Brisbane or you can find a local doctor instead.
Talk to your doctor if you feel pain and stiffness
What are the symptoms?
More often than not, Ankylosing Spondylitis will first start in your sacroiliac joints, where the spine connects to the pelvis. However, it can affect places where the ligaments and tendons attach to the bones. In some cases, Ankylosing Spondylitis could cause your vertebrae to fuse together. If you have Ankylosing Spondylitis, you might feel stiffness and pain in your:
- Buttocks.
- Lower back.
- Shoulders.
- Rib cage.
- Hips.
- Hands.
- Thighs.
- Heels.
- Feet.
- Shoulders.
In addition, you might also notice that the pain is getting much worse in the morning, or after you have been sitting for a long period. If your spine curves forward, you are tired often without a reason, your joints have swelled, and you have trouble taking a deep breath, you should contact your doctor. The symptoms for Ankylosing Spondylitis vary.
Ankylosing Spondylitis complications
This type of arthritis could cause inflammation and pain throughout your body, which also includes your spine, eyes and heart valve. In rare cases your vertebrae could become weak, which will make them a lot more likely to break or fracture. This could cause the loss of bowel or bladder control, loss of reflexes and even sexual problems.
About 40% of people who suffer from Ankylosing Spondylitis have problems with their eye/s called uveitis. It is an eye inflammation that can become very painful, and it can cause your vision to be blurry, making you sensitive to light. In rare cases, Ankylosing Spondylitis could cause an enlarged aorta, and that can change the shape of the aortic valve, allowing blood to leak into your heart.
People with Ankylosing Spondylitis are also more prone to having certain types of cancers; such as blood-related cancers in both sexes, prostate and bone cancers in men, and colon cancer in women. People who have psoriatic arthritis could also develop a condition called spondylitis. You can find out more if you visit https://arthritiscare.com.au/service/psoriatic-arthritis or talk to your doctor.
Ankylosing spondylitis can be managed
Final word
There are many things that you could do, to make the arthritis a lot easier to live with; from having regular exercise, to keeping a healthy weight and getting rid of bad habits, such as smoking. Your doctor will tell you more about the changes you can make.