Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease primarily affecting the spine and sacroiliac joints, leading to pain, stiffness, and progressive loss of mobility. Over time, the inflammation can cause the spine to fuse, resulting in a rigid, hunched posture. Managing ankylosing spondylitis requires specialized care to control inflammation and maintain spinal flexibility. Dr. Zunaira Ali, serving the communities of Houston, Spring, Cypress, Tomball, and Katy in Texas, provides expert diagnosis and personalized treatment plans to help patients with AS manage their symptoms and improve their quality of life.
What is Ankylosing Spondylitis?
Spondyloarthritis, or spondyloarthropathy, is an inflammatory arthritis affecting the spine. The main symptom is chronic low back pain. This occurs most often in axial spondyloarthritis. In a minority of patients, the major symptoms are pain and swelling in large joints of the arms and legs. This type is known as peripheral spondyloarthritis.
Spondyloarthritis often inflames the ligaments and tendons attached to the bone. Spondyloarthritis more often affects males in their teens or 20s. Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is associated with the HLA-B27 gene. Psoriatic arthritis, reactive arthritis and enteropathic arthritis associated with inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, are types of spondyloarthritis.
What are the Signs and Symptoms of Ankylosing Spondylitis?
Low back pain is the most common symptom. Some spondyloarthropathies may affect the hands, feet, arms, or legs. Patients may have pain, fatigue or stiffness that is continuous or comes and goes. We can also see inflammation in the eyes called Uveitis.
How is Ankylosing Spondylitis diagnosed?
Correct diagnosis requires a physician to assess the patient’s medical history and do a physical exam. The doctor also may order imaging tests or blood tests. X-ray changes of the sacroiliac joints, known as sacroiliitis, are a key sign of spondyloarthritis. Among the blood tests you may need is a test for the HLA-B27 gene. However, having this gene does not mean spondyloarthritis will always develop.
How is Ankylosing Spondylitis treated?
Spondyloarthritis patients should get physical therapy and do joint-directed exercises to promote spinal extension and mobility. First-line medications for symptom relief are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). For localized joint swelling, corticosteroid injections into the joint or tendon sheath are quickly effective. If patients do not respond, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) may be used to relieve symptoms and prevent joint damage. Some members of a newer class of drugs, known as biologics, are very effective in treating both the spinal and peripheral joint symptoms of spondyloarthritis.
With newer treatment options, most people with spondyloarthritis lead normal, productive lives and have a normal lifespan. People with spondyloarthritis should exercise frequently to maintain joint and heart health. People with spondyloarthritis who smoke should quit or get help to do so. Patient support groups for people with spondyloarthritis may be helpful and informative.
If you are experiencing symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis, Dr. Zunaira Ali and the team at Advanced Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine can help. Even if your symptoms are relatively mild and manageable, you are still encouraged to regularly consult with a rheumatologist, who can detect and treat any associated complications as soon as possible. Contact our practice, serving Houston, Spring, Cypress, Tomball, and Katy in Texas today..