Ankylosing Spondylitis

Ankylosing spondylitis is a type of arthritis that mainly affects the back, by causing inflammation in the spine. This can make your back, rib cage and neck stiff and painful. In response to the inflammation, the body produces extra calcium around the bones of the spine. This can make extra bits of bone grow and cause your back and neck to be more stiff. 

Ankylosing spondylitis is likely to cause:

• stiffness and pain in your lower back in the early morning that lasts at least 30 minutes and then eases through the day or with activity.
• pain that wakes you in the night.
• pain in one or both buttocks and sometimes the backs of the thighs.
  The condition can sometimes be mistaken for common backache. Common backache often comes in short and painful spells. But the pain from ankylosing spondylitis is likely to be long-lasting.

A number of treatments can slow it down and treat pain and stiffness. Exercise and close attention to your posture are just as important to keep your spine mobile and help you to live a normal life.