Ankylosing Spondylitis is an arthritic inflammation of spinal joints and ligaments. However, it might also impact other peripheral joints such as your ankles, hips, and knees. This might further disrupt the free movement and bending of your spine. If you suffer from ankylosing spondylitis, you might witness frequent stiffness in your joints and tissues. With severity, it might fuse your vertebrae, resulting in a rigid and inflexible spine.
In this blog, we will comprehensively understand ankylosing spondylitis, along with its stages, causes, risk factors, treatments and more.
Progression of Ankylosing Spondylitis
Every individual’s ankylosis spondylitis progresses in different ways. Here is a generic overview of its progression:
Early Stage
In the initial stages, you might experience back pain and stiffness. This usually starts in the morning and subsides as the day progresses. Besides, you might even experience neck pain and fatigue.
Worsening Stage
If your ankylosis spondylitis progresses, it starts affecting your vertebrae and gradually progresses upward toward your spine. This results in more discomfort and back stiffness. Spinal bone fusion or joining together are the common symptoms of this stage. You might even notice drastic changes where your ligaments and tendons connect with your bones, causing pain in your legs, feet, shoulders, and ribs.
Advanced Stage
The final stage of your ankylosing spondylitis is the advanced stage where ultimately your spine fuses. This might cause permanent restrictions on your movement. It can even flatten out your lower back curve, leading to a bent-over posture. This bent-over posture is known as kyphosis.
Who is Prone to Ankylosing Spondylitis?
There is no specific age or gender prone to ankylosing spondylitis. Anyone can develop ankylosing spondylitis over time. However, certain factors might increase your risk of progressing towards this medical condition. A few of them are:
Your Family’s Genetics and Medical History
If ankylosis spondylitis runs down your family, you are more susceptible to developing it.
Age
Several researches indicate that people below the age group of 45 years are more prone to ankylosis spondylitis.
Other Conditions
People with ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, or psoriasis are prone to developing ankylosing spondylitis at some stage.
Ankylosing Spondylitis Causes
No specific causes were detected or identified by the researchers working on ankylosing spondylitis. However, several studies indicate that both your surroundings and genetic makeup may result in the development of this disorder. Experts suggest specific genetic mutations responsible for the trigger of this medical condition.
Research findings indicate the interaction of genetic mutations and the development of ankylosing spondylitis. Genetic mutation brings about changes to the sequence of your DNA. This usually happens when your cells undergo division to form clones.
HLA-B27 genes have been identified to increase your risk of developing ankylosing spondylitis. However, you need to know that possessing this gene does not result in its definite expression. You may still have the gene in an inexpressive state. This hints at the contribution of the surrounding environment in the development and progression of ankylosing spondylitis.
Researchers continue their dig in exploring other genes that might contribute to the development of the disease. However, the current research suggests that HLA-B27 is the primary gene responsible for developing ankylosing spondylitis.
Ankylosing Spondylitis Symptoms
Ankylosing spondylitis symptoms vary from individual to individual. While few might exhibit mild episodes, others might experience chronic symptoms and severe pains. Whether your symptoms are mild or severe, they may worsen further, resulting in flares.
People suffering from ankylosing spondylitis share experiences of witnessing a unique set of symptoms. Sacroiliitis, or painful inflammation of your sacroiliac joints, is the most common symptom of ankylosing spondylitis. This pain can radiate to other body parts, including hip pain, neck pain, pain in your buttocks, abdominal pain, etc.
Typically, the pain worsens further during the resting period or state of your inactivity. As a result, such people might suffer more pain, especially during midnight or after prolonged sitting. Pain might subside or ease down with moving and regular exercising.
Apart from these, there are several other symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis, such as –
- Stiff hips and lower back
- Fatigues
- Dyspnea or breath shortness
- Appetite loss or unexplained weight loss
- Skin rashes
- Vision issues
- Diarrhoea
Ankylosing Spondylitis Risk Factors
The onset of this disease usually occurs during late adolescence or even early childhood. Mostly, people suffering from ankylosing spondylitis show the presence of the HLA-B27 gene. However, the presence of this gene alone is insufficient to define that the person is suffering from ankylosing spondylitis.
Ankylosing Spondylitis Complications
In severe conditions, you might experience the development of new bones. This is your body’s attempt at self-healing. The new bone gradually bridges the gap between your vertebrae, fusing your vertebral sections. These parts of your vertebrae ultimately exhibit stiffness and inflexibility. The vertebral fusion might also result in stiffening your rib cage, thereby restricting the capacity of your lungs and their functioning.
There are other complications to take care of –
Eye Inflammation
This is acknowledged as one of the most common complications of ankylosing spondylitis. The symptoms are sudden onset of eye pain, light sensitivity, and blurred vision.
Compression Fractures
Some patients might exhibit bone weakening during their initial phases of ankylosis spondylitis. Weakening of your vertebrae might result in their krumping, thereby increasing your chances of developing a stooped posture. Vertebral fractures might exert pressure on your spinal cord, injuring it and the nerves that run down it.
Heart Issues
Ankylosing spondylitis interferes with the functioning of your aorta. This is the largest artery in your body. The inflamed aorta can enlarge to such a point that it distorts the shape of your heart’s aortic valve. This might further result in impairing its functionality.
Ankylosing Spondylitis Diagnosis
Before you can know about ankylosing spondylitis diagnosis, you must understand when to seek medical advice. Visit your medical practitioner when you experience sudden pain in your lower back or buttocks. This pain is usually worse in the morning or when you suddenly wake up in the middle of your sleep.
Watch whether your pain improves with regular exercise and worsens with resting. Chest pain, vision problems, unexplained weight loss, difficulty breathing, severe back pain, and joint pain are other reasons for consulting your medical practitioner.
Ankylosis spondylitis is diagnosed with simple physical examinations. Your healthcare practitioner will examine your body and ask you about the symptoms. Be clear with your medical practitioner about the incidences when you first noticed the pain. Your health practitioner might recommend further consultation with a rheumatologist specialising in treating arthritis and other allied health conditions.
There is no single test to confirm that you are suffering from ankylosing spondylitis. You might have to undergo a sequence of tests to help your doctor diagnose it. A few of them include the following:
X-Ray
X-ray of your sacroiliac joints and spine. This indicates all the possible signs of arthritis.
MRI
MRI or Magnetic Resonance Imaging. This shows more details than your X-rays.
Then, there are specific blood tests to detect whether you have a mutated HLA-B27 gene present within you or not.
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Ankylosing Spondylitis Treatment
Your doctor will suggest what works well with your ankylosing spondylitis. Treatments or management involves an act of self-awareness and self-regulation. Standard treatment options are:
Exercising
As this is a physical ailment, exercising will help you improve your condition soon. Regular exercise helps you reduce stiffness and stop the further advancement of your ankylosing spondylitis. Most patients complain of increasing pain during their state of inactivity. A physical therapist will suggest the correct postures and stretches to ease pain and strengthen your back and spine muscles.
Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs or NSAIDs
There are several over-the-counter NSAIDs available for you to get rid of your pain temporarily. These include the classes of ibuprofen and naproxen. However, you should always consult your doctor before starting with these over-the-counter NSAIDs.
DMARDs or biological disease-modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs
Biological DMARDs are prescription-only medicines that reduce your pain and inflammation. Your doctor might put you on cortisone shots for a few days or months. These cortisone shots are injections of corticosteroids that are injected directly into your affected areas.
Surgery
Surgical correction of ankylosing spondylitis is quite a rare phenomenon. Your doctor will usually only ask you to go for a surgical correction when your symptoms are severe, and there’s no other option left after trying other treatments.
How Soon Should You Feel Better?
You’ll start feeling better as soon as your treatment is started. It will take a reasonable amount of time to obliterate your symptoms. You can always check with your doctor when your symptoms will improve. Exercising and physical therapies come under a gradual process, and medications exhibit prolonged effects.
Living a Better Lifestyle
Nothing works well when you choose a poor lifestyle. Improvising your lifestyle is the key to a well-defined treatment regime for your ankylosing spondylitis. Here are a few of our recommendations to help you reduce the inflammation in your body and the unnecessary stress in your joints.
Diet
Your diet should strictly consist of plenty of bright fruits and vegetables. These bright fruits and vegetables are rich in anti-inflammatory nutrients known as antioxidants. Also, load your diet with lean protein sources, calcium, vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, etc.
Limit Alcohol Consumption
People addicted to alcohol should limit or altogether avoid their alcohol intake. Alcohol is the sole cause of inflammation.
Work up to keep your spine in a good and balanced posture. At your work desk, ensure your chair is positioned well. Your physical therapist will help you with sitting exercises and postures.
Understand Your Body
Listening to your body is a must. When your body asks you to rest, pause and step back to rest. You can even preserve your energy by breaking your tasks into smaller fractions and doing one thing at a time. Make it your habit to take a break for a while after every 30 to 40 minutes.
Maintain a Sound Sleep Cycle
Make sleep your topmost priority when your body asks for it. Resting and relaxing can be more challenging when your body hurts physically. However, getting enough shut-eye helps your body heal and preserve energy. To ease pressure on your neck and spine, make sure that you select the right pillow. You can have one extra between your legs.
Conclusion
Early diagnosis, proper consultation, and treatment can work wonders for those suffering from ankylosing spondylitis. Discuss with your medical practitioner if you think or witness symptoms of it. Exercising, taking medications, and a healthier lifestyle can ease your symptoms and keep you fit.
