Ankylosing Spondylitis: What's Happening With Your Back?

Ankylosing spondylitis is a condition that part of the population faces. This is the kind of arthritis that affects the spine and may be one of the most debilitating of all types of arthritis. In this condition, you will experience stiffness and pain. Generally, it takes the pain from the neck down in the lower back. The worst part about this is a condition that often ends up causing your spine, or bones of your spine, connected together. This can cause many problems for you in almost every function of your life.

What you need to know about ankylosing spondylitis is that if the condition is caught and treated soon enough, your pain will reduce and weaken the ability of the worst conditions will be reduced as much. With the help of medication, physical therapy and screening can reduce the pain. If you do not seek the help you need for this condition, the worst option you can face is having stooped over the spine that can lead to inability to function and do things you should do.

Do you have it?

With the help of your doctor can determine if you have ankylosing spondylitis. He or she will perform a series of tests which often include X-rays, monitor your symptoms and physical examination. Through these things, your doctor will be able to determine what is affecting you, as well as the extent and possible treatment for it. Symptoms of this form of arthritis are quite unique. One of them is a combination of your vertebrae. What happens is as simple as your body is doing too much to help. As with arthritis, inflammation starts, it causes you to activate your body healing device. In this case, it thinks you need to heal your bones and therefore begins to stimulate bone growth. The problem with this is that bone growth is actually a fusion of two vertebrae together, which leads to additional problems.

Not only will this cause a loss of range of motion, but with it, will make it harder for you to breathe because your ribs are forced against the lungs. You May not be able to take a deep breath.

There are other symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis, as well. pain and stiffness that generally accompanies any form of arthritis exist. This can occur from the lower back, the hips and buttocks. If you have pain that is constant in the hips and lower back area for more than three months, then it is a sign that he might be developing this condition. In addition, the ligaments and tendons in the spine down the back and hips can be done, and can be painful and stiff.

With the right help, though, most of the symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis can be reduced or even reversed. But for this to happen, you must be proactive in getting help to do so.