What is Ankylosing Spondylitis?

Ankylosing spondylitis represents a form of inflammatory arthritis which primarily affects spinal areas but can also impact other body joints. The ankylosing spondylitis meaning describes how spinal joint inflammation creates chronic back pain and stiffness which restricts movement.

The spinal inflammation from this condition leads to bone formation which results in spinal section fusion. Ankylosing Spondylitis Patient Education helps patients understand how new bone growth between spinal segments leads to spinal fusion which limits mobility and sometimes causes kyphosis.

The condition affects more than just the spinal area. The condition causes pain and stiffness to appear in various body parts including the shoulders and hips and ribs and heels and small joints of hands and feet. The eyes become inflamed through iritis or uveitis in some patients while lung and heart involvement remains extremely rare.

The sacroiliac (SI) joints which connect the spine to the pelvis, become inflamed during the initial stages of ankylosing spondylitis. The presence of this inflammation serves as a vital indicator for doctors to diagnose the condition.

People who understand ankylosing spondylitis can identify its symptoms at an early stage to receive proper medical treatment for effective disease management.

How Ankylosing Spondylitis Progresses

The initial signs of ankylosing spondylitis include back pain which improves when moving but gets worse when resting. The spine will develop stiffness or fusion when inflammation persists without proper control. The upper back develops a forward curvature known as kyphosis when the spine becomes fused through the process of fusion.

Early medical intervention becomes essential because it helps prevent the disease from advancing.

Who Is at Risk?

The development of AS becomes more likely for people who have specific risk factors, including:

• Family members who have AS
• People who carry the HLA-B27 gene
• The onset of symptoms occurs before reaching age 45.
• People who experience three months or longer of recurring lower-back stiffness need to seek medical help.

Why Early Detection Matters

People who receive an early diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis can start receiving appropriate treatment, which helps control their symptoms. Proper management of the condition helps patients achieve pain relief while protecting their mobility and stopping spinal fusion and joint deterioration from occurring.

A rheumatologist needs to be consulted when back stiffness persists along with heel pain and eye inflammation that keeps recurring.