EARLY DIAGNOSIS OF ANKYLOSINGSPONDYLITIS HELPS PREVENT LOSS OF MOTION IN THE SPINE
Arthritis is a disease that has a serious impact on our lives. There are, moreover, hundreds of different conditions that can be termed as arthritis. Arthritis is a combination of two terms’ arth or bone joint and itis or inflammation; hence an inflammation in bone joint is arthritis. Similarly, if it happens between the vertebrae of the spine, it is termed as spondylitis.
Spondylitis can also be termed a lifestyle problem since it can occur due to wrong sitting posture or extended sitting for long hours. But is has a serious form, which can lead to ankylosing or cementing of vertebrae. In such cases, the joints may lose their functionality and get merged and wedged.
Ankylosing happens in the spine and leads to a condition called “Ankylosing Spondylitis”. It is one form of inflammatory arthritis, in which the joints and ligaments of the spine and sacroiliac joints become inflamed. As the inflammation starts, the body’s self-healing mechanism starts forming new bony out-growths called syndesmophytes. This leads to fusing of the vertebra causing inflexibility in the spine’s mobility.
SYMPTOMS
The common symptoms are fatigue, chronic pain and stiffness in the neck, lower back and upper buttock area. Usually the most common spot of pain is deep within the buttock; one side or both the sides. Inflammation which occurs in tendons and ligaments that connect and provide support to the joints can lead to pain and tenderness I the ribs, shoulder blades, hips, thighs, shins, heels and along the bony points of the spine.
The pain is highest in the morning or after a prolonged rest and usually settles down once the body warms up or after physical activity. Early detection may save the patient’s spine from cementing.
DETECTION
As the symptoms may be diagnosed as some other form of arthritis, the examination has to be really thorough. In AS, pain in the spine or lower back pain is accompanied by a lessening of the motion of the spine, which is the main outcome of the disease. A clinical examination and x-ray may help in diagnosis. Tests like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and tomography give a more precise indication of the exact stage of the disease. Specialists believe that the origin maybe hereditary (or genetically inherited). Also it has been found that people who suffer from this condition are born with a gene-HLA-B27 (in at least 90 percent of the cases). There are other external conditions that lead to AS; not every person with this gene has the disease. As is more common in males than in females, and is typically more diagnosed in people between the age of 15 and 30 years. As a member of the Rheumatic group, it can spread to the other tissues in the body. Hence, it can affect the joints and organs like the knee joint, ankles, eyes, heart, lungs, kidneys. Once ankylosing or cementing develops, there may be reduction of or complete end to the pain, but only after a complete loss of motion in the vertebral column. The fused vertebra become brittle in nature and becomes highly prone to fracture. Treatment may involve medication to reduce pain and inflammation, exercise and fomentation.
SURGERY
But if this condition is wrongly diagnosed or diagnosed late, it may lead to the total damage of the joint, specially the hip joint because that is the first to be affected after the spine. In such a case the doctor may recommend a full hip joint replacement. With the latest developments I replacement surgery this has become a treatment option to avoid the spread of AS to other parts of the body.