Ankylosing Spondylitis - A Cause of Joint Pain 

Ankylosing spondylitis can cause joint pain anywhere in the body, but it most often affects the joints between the vertebrae of your spine and the joints between your spine and pelvis.

It's a chronic inflammatory condition (any condition ending in the word "itis" refers to some type of inflammation) that is also known as spondylitis or rheumatoid spondylitis. The specific cause of ankylosing spondylitis is unknown, although there's some evidence genetic factors may increase your risk of developing it.

Ankylosing spondylitis affects men more often than women, and usually appears sometime between the early teenage years and middle age.

Symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis

Chronic pain and stiffness are the most common signs of ankylosing spondylitis. It often strikes your lower back and hips first and is most apparent after periods of rest and inactivity. You are also more likely to feel pain caused by ankylosing spondylitis after you wake up in the morning.

Pain tends to increase as time passes, although there may be periods when your condition seems to be improving. Pain may migrate up your spine or spread to other joints. Other parts of your body may become inflamed too, especially where tendons and ligaments attach to your bones. There may be rib pain, shoulder pain, knee pain and foot pain.

As ankylosing spondylitis progresses, you may find it difficult to expand your chest, and your spine may lose some of its flexibility. Chronic stooping becomes more common. Bones in your rib cage may stiffen and fuse, limiting your lung capacity and function.

Ankylosing spondylitis may even cause bowel and eye pain due to inflammation. You may also experience sensitivity to light or vision problems.

There are also some symptoms that are common to other disorders, including unexplained weight loss, a reduced appetite, and fatigue.

Treatment

When left untreated, ankylosing spondylitis typically gets worse. Your body will attempt to cope by forming new bone. This can cause vertical bony outgrowths known as syndesmophytes, which make your joints stiff and inflexible.

The goal of treatment is to reduce pain and stiffness, and to prevent irreversible bone pain due to damage or deformities.

To those ends, your doctor will probably recommend taking certain medications, including

• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). NSAIDs relieve your inflammation, pain and stiffness.
• Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). These include sulfasalazine (Azulfidine) or methotrexate (Rheumatrex), which help limit joint damage.
• Corticosteroids. These help suppress inflammation and joint damage
• Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blockers. These medications reduce pain, stiffness, and tender or swollen joints.

Keep in mind, medications sometimes have side effects. 

Physical therapy is another option for reducing pain caused by ankylosing spondylitis by improving your strength and flexibility. Range-of-motion and stretching exercises can be especially helpful and breathing exercises will improve and maintain your lung capacity.

Poor posture often makes ankylosing spondylitis worse and especially contributes to chronic stooping. Your physical therapist can suggest exercises to make sure your spine stays upright and doesn't begin to bend.
 
Surgery is not typical for those suffering from pain caused by ankylosing spondylitis. However, it is an option if damage to your joints is severe, or if a non-spinal joint is affected so much that it needs to be replaced.