Diagnosis and treatment of ankylosing spondylitis

Ankylosing spondylitis is an inflammatory disease or a type of arthritis that primarily affects the spine or back, over time, can cause some of the vertebrae in your spine to fuse. If ribs are affected, it can be difficult to breathe deeply. The fusing of the spinal vertebrae which is also known as “Bamboo Spine” makes the spine less flexible and can result in a forward hunch posture. Ankylosing spondylitis affects men more often than women. Signs and symptoms typically begin in early adulthood. Inflammation also can occur in other parts of your body, most commonly, your eyes.

Causes of Ankylosing Spondylitis

The cause of ankylosing spondylitis is unknown, but genes and heredity play an important role.

Some studies suggest that Ankylosing Spondylitis may be triggered by an infection. In particular, people who have a gene called HLA-B27 are at increased risk of developing ankylosing spondylitis. However, only some people with the gene develop the condition.

The area’s most commonly affected in Ankylosing Spondylitis are:

• The sacroiliac joint that is between the base of your spine and your pelvis.
• The vertebrae in your lower back.
• The places where your tendons and ligaments attach to bones, mainly in your spine, but sometimes along the back of your heel.
• The cartilage between your breastbone and ribs.
• Your hip and shoulder joints.

The most common symptoms of Ankylosing Spondylitis are:

• It is most commonly seen in age group of 17-35.
• Chronic pain and stiffness in the lower back, buttocks and hips.
• Pain and stiffness which worsens during periods of rest or inactivity and improves with movement and exercise.
• Early morning stiffness of joints.
• Overtime, the inflammation can cause the sacroiliac and vertebral bones to fuse or grow together. When the bones fuse, the spine loses its normal flexibility and becomes rigid.
• The rib cage also may fuse which can limit normal chest expansion and make breathing more difficult. Inflammation and pain also can occur in the hips, shoulders, knees, ankles, toes, and fingers, which may limit mobility.
• The heels may be affected, making it uncomfortable to stand or walk on hard surfaces.
• Smokers who have ankylosing spondylitis have more spinal damage than non-smokers with the same level of disease activity.
• The disease is also linked to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.
• The disease can cause fever, loss of appetite, fatigue and inflammation in the lungs, heart and eyes.
• Eye inflammation (called iritis or uveitis) occurs in more than one-fourth of people with Ankylosing Spondylitis. Iritis causes redness and pain in the eye that worsens with exposure to bright light causing blurring of vision.

How to diagnose Ankylosing Spondylitis?

For the diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis, the doctors generally rely on medical history, physical examination of joints and spine, imaging tests of the pelvis and also blood tests to check for the HLA-B27 gene.

The most common symptoms of Ankylosing Spondylitis are:

• It is most commonly seen in age group of 17-35.

• Chronic pain and stiffness in the lower back, buttocks and hips.
• Pain and stiffness which worsens during periods of rest or inactivity and improves with movement and exercise.
• Early morning stiffness of joints.
• Overtime, the inflammation can cause the sacroiliac and vertebral bones to fuse or grow together. When the bones fuse, the spine loses its normal flexibility and becomes rigid.
• The rib cage also may fuse which can limit normal chest expansion and make breathing more difficult. Inflammation and pain also can occur in the hips, shoulders, knees, ankles, toes and fingers, which may limit mobility.
• The heels may be affected, making it uncomfortable to stand or walk on hard surfaces.
• Smokers who have ankylosing spondylitis have more spinal damage than non-smokers with the same level of disease activity.
• The disease is also linked to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.
• The disease can cause fever, loss of appetite, fatigue and inflammation in the lungs, heart and eyes.
• Eye inflammation (called iritis or uveitis) occurs in more than one-fourth of people with Ankylosing Spondylitis. Iritis causes redness and pain in the eye that worsens with exposure to bright light causing blurring of vision.

Homeopathic Treatment for Ankylosing Spondylitis:

• It is universally known that Ankylosing spondylitis is not curable but with the help of gentle medicines like homeopathy, the disease progress can be slowed down.
• Conventional treatment for ankylosing spondylitis includes Analgesics, Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs), Disease-modifying Anti-rheumatic Drugs (DMARDs) and Corticosteroids. If none of them work then the last option is Surgery but still, the pathology keeps progressing with other joints of the body. None of them would give long-term relief to the patient. 
• Homeopathic treatment for ankylosing spondylitis helps naturally by stimulating the immune system and helps to slow down the progress of the disease.
• Homeopathic remedies work by stimulating the body’s own healing capacity.
• Homeopathy treatment for ankylosing spondylitis is free from any side-effects.
• Homeopathic treatment for ankylosing spondylitis help to reduce stress if any and rebuild self-confidence because it deals with the patient as a person and not only the disease.
• Conventional medicines could lead to more exhaustion or tiredness but with homeopathic treatment for ankylosing spondylitis, there is no such side-effect.
• Homeopathic medicines are not addictive and do not damage any other organs of the body unlike conventional treatment for ankylosing spondylitis.