21 Jan Ankylosing Spondylitis Treatment From Pain Management Specialists
Ankylosing spondylitis is an inflammatory condition. If left unchecked, it can cause your vertebrae to fuse together. This can limit your range of motion, hunch your posture forward and lead to pain and discomfort. In serious cases where spondylitis affects the rib cage, it can affect your ability to breathe.
If you see a pain management specialist, you will likely be recommended a number of treatments for this process. In this article, we will provide some preliminary information about the condition as well as some of the treatments that you may be offered.
What Is Ankylosing Spondylitis? Symptoms & Causes
Ankylosing spondylitis is a condition that doesn’t have an official, medically recognized treatment. However, understanding the causes and symptoms of the condition has allowed medical practitioners to develop solutions to manage the discomfort.
Symptoms
Ankylosing spondylitis affects a number of parts of the body.
When you first begin to develop the condition you may notice pain in your lower body, especially in your back and hips. This discomfort is more noticeable early in the morning or after you haven’t moved for a while.
As the condition progresses, the pain may move to different areas in your body. Pain is the main symptom, along with stiffness and general discomfort. The pain can move throughout these parts of your body:
- The joint that connects the base of your spine to your pelvis
- Your lower back
- The connective areas where a tendon attaches to a bone
- Your breastbone and rib cage
- Hips
- Shoulders
Causes
Researchers don’t know the exact cause of ankylosing spondylitis. However, they have identified a number of risk factors.
- Men are more likely to develop the condition than women.
- Ankylosing spondylitis tends to affect younger people, in early teenagehood or as young adults.
- The majority of people who develop the condition have an expression of the HLA-B27 gene. However, having this gene expressed does not necessarily mean you will get the condition.
Treatments of Ankylosing Spondylitis
There are a number of treatments that a pain management specialist might offer.
- Site-specific steroid injections. These injections help to deliver anti-inflammatory and analgesic medications to the site of the problem.
- Physical therapy helps patients to redevelop their range of motion, help to reduce pain and increase the overall quality of their life.
- Patients may also receive medication from their doctors which can help to fight pain and reduce inflammation. Common medications include corticosteroids, analgesics, and anti-rheumatic drugs which help to suppress the immune system.
Conclusion
Ankylosing spondylitis is a condition that affects a person’s mobility and quality of life. It strikes often during adolescence and early adulthood. While the condition has no known cause, there are a number of procedures and treatments that can help to reduce symptoms.
If you are struggling with ankylosing spondylitis and you’re unsure of how to proceed, don’t hesitate to reach out to a pain management specialist in Chicago. You will be able to learn more about the condition and how it can be treated.