Ankylosing spondylitis is a condition that a fraction of the population faces. It is a type of arthritis that affects the spinal column and can be one of the most debilitating of all types of arthritis. In this condition, you will experience stiffness and pain. Generally, that pain runs from your neck down into your lower back. The worst part about this condition is that it often ends up causing your vertebrae, or the bones in your spine, to fuse together. That can cause many problems for you in virtually 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 be lessened and the conditions worst debilitating abilities will be lessened, considerably. With the help of medications, physical therapy and screening, you can reduce your pain. If you don’t seek out the help you need for this condition, the worst possibility you can face is having a stooped over spine that can lead to the inability to function and do the things you need to do.

Do You Have It?

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

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

There are other symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis as well. The pain and stiffness that is generally accompanied by any form of arthritis are there. This can happen from the lower back, into your hips and into the 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 you could be developing this condition. In addition, the ligaments and tendons in your spinal area on down into the back and hips can be effected and may be sore and stiff.

With the right help, though, most of the symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis can be lessened and even reversed. But, for this to happen, you have to be proactive in getting the help you need to make it so.