What is Ankylosing Spondylitis?
Ankylosing Spondylitis, AS, is a long term type of arthritis causing pain and inflammation, affecting mainly the spine and sacroiliac joint. It also lead to stiffness of the spine as the bones join together.
Causes of Ankylosing Spondylitis
The cause of Ankylosing Spondylitis is not clear, mostly due to genetics.
Commonly seen in males than females, begins at age 20-40.
Signs and Symptoms of Ankylosing Spondylitis
Symptoms of Ankylosing Spondylitis can vary from mild to severe, and usually flare up inflammation time to time.
– Back pain
– Lower back stiffness, especially at night or morning or period of inactivity
– Other joints painful and stiffness: hips, knees, ankles, and shoulders
– Better with movement or exercises
– Fatigue and Tiredness
Other symptoms:
– Weight loss
– Loss of appetite
– Inflammation of the eyes
– Numbness
– In severe cases, back deformity – stoop (bending over) posture
Effective Treatments Solution for Ankylosing Spondylitis
–Pain Relief Therapy: Using pain relieving treatment modalites such as Ultrasound , electrical stimulation, TENS, laser, heat therapy to reduce pain, joint stiffness & tissue repair and healing
– Physiotherapy: Physiotherapist will educate you on the benefits of exercise and advice on how to further prevent joint inflammation and damage. It is very important to balance rest and activity and tailor your exercise program accordingly, to avoid excessive stress on your joints.
– Medical Exercise Therapy: Specific targeted exercises to relieve muscle tightness, stiff joint, correct muscle imbalance. Long term progressive exercises are important to prevent joint injury. Exercises are guided by therapist to correct possible incorrect compensatory movement and ensure proper posture alignment, technique and muscle activation.
– Stretch Therapy: Using a variety of different active or passive stretching methods to improve muscle length, reduce muscle tension, improve joint flexibility
– Massage Therapy: Hands-on technique such as soft tissue release, deep friction massage, myofascial release, trigger points release to ease muscle pain and muscle tightness to reduce joint pressure
–Shockwave Therapy: Advanced high energy pulses effective for chronic, persistent joint and muscle tightness, trigger points to stimulate healing
– Spinal Decompression Therapy: Using computerized system creates an anti-gravity, negative pressure to the cervical, thoracic or lumbar spine on the spinal disc, joints, nerves and muscles.
– Manual Therapy: Passive joint mobilisation, manipulation, manual traction to loosen joint and increase mobility
– Education: Advice to improve posture, lifestyle modifications, ergonomics workstation adjustment, joint stress reductions
Our unique treatment approach for Ankylosing Spondylitis
At heal360 Physioclinic, our physiotherapist and rehabilitation therapist experts has developed a proprietary signature program for Ankylosing Spondylitis- PainRelief360™ Program
Our therapist will perform a thorough assessment and determine the potential cause of the problem, and will develop a management and best treatment program for your ankylosing spondylitis : re-educate, re-train your muscles, reduce joint stress, and give you a renewed life!
