If you’ve been diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, your pain management dr will recommend specific treatments based on your condition. Treatment goals include relieving the pain and stiffness caused by the condition. Your doctor can also help you try to delay complications and spinal deformity. Here are four ways to treat ankylosing spondylitis:
1.Exercise and Physiotherapy
Physical therapy is a standard part of ankylosing spondylitis treatment and has many benefits. Your doctor will recommend specific exercises to relieve pain, improve strength and flexibility, and promote proper sleeping positions. A physical therapist can also help you preserve good walking posture and increase your range of motion through stretching exercises. The therapist will also customize strength exercises for your abdominal and back muscles.
Low-impact physical activity can halt or slow down the progression of arthritis. Ankylosing spondylitis is a type of spinal arthritis that gets worse over time. Like most arthritis cases, the condition has no cure, but you can treat the symptoms and slow down the degenerative process. Most patients feel worse after long periods of inactivity, and movement can lessen the pain. Your doctor might recommend the following physiotherapies:
Body-Movement Exercises: Exercises that are uniquely tailored to treat your symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis. Your doctor may also recommend swimming, sports, daily stretching, and light workouts.
Massage Therapy: Muscle and soft tissue manipulation for pain relief and better movement.
Hydrotherapy: Exercises that are done in warm water, in shallow pools, or in special hydrotherapy baths.
2.Medication and Painkillers
Doctors use various medications to treat ankylosing spondylitis, including NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) and TNF (tumor necrosis factor) blockers. Other drugs include IL-17 (interleukin-17), corticosteroids, DMARDs (disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs), and painkillers. NSAIDs like ibuprofen are popular for relieving pain, inflammation, and stiffness. Doctors may also prescribe acetaminophen or codeine painkillers.
Common TNF blockers include adalimumab, certolizumab, etanercept, golimumab, and infliximab. The drugs reduce pain, joint swelling, and lesions. Corticosteroids also offer powerful anti-inflammatory effects. TNF blockers and IL-17 inhibitors are injected under your skin intravenously. Corticosteroid injections go directly into the inflamed joint.
Medication and painkillers can provide temporary relief for the pain and inflammation. Be sure to consult your doctor to understand which medication is right for you. Your doctor will help you identify the safest way to use medication for ankylosing spondylitis as well as any side effects.
3.Spinal Surgery
Most people with ankylosing spondylitis can achieve relief from physiotherapy, regular workout, and medication. A smaller percentage of patients may need joint replacement surgery to improve pain relief and mobility in the affected spinal joints. Surgery is an option if your joints are severely damaged by arthritis. The doctor will determine the type of surgery based on your condition, symptoms, and severity of the degenerative process.
If the hip joints are damaged, you can consider hip replacement. In other cases, the doctor will recommend corrective surgery if your spine is bent. A joint replacement surgery will remove the damaged joint and implant an artificial alternative through surgery. Surgeries can relieve pain, restore normal posture, and improve movement and joint functionality. This option is used when other treatments are unsuccessful.
Best Practices for Treating Ankylosing Spondylitis
You can complement ankylosing spondylitis treatment with other practices that relieve pain and inflammation. Eat a nutritious diet with little or no sugars, fats, fried food, and processed meats. A balanced diet can help you prevent inflammation. Keeping a healthy weight can protect your joints and bones from excess pressure. Other healthy practices include limiting alcohol consumption and quitting tobacco use.
Working With a Pain Management Dr
Pain is the primary symptom of ankylosing spondylitis. You should work with a reputable pain management dr to help you relieve pain and inflammation. Stick to doctors specializing in treating causes involving chronic pain.
