Ankylosing spondylitis (AS): An inflammatory arthritic disorder, primarily of the axial skeleton (sacroiliac joints and spine), but can affect hip and shoulder joints and infrequently the peripheral joints. It causes chronic back pain and leads to stiffness of the spine. Most of the affected individuals have the HLA-B27 gene.
Interesting to note that most people with this have that gene. Perhaps testing can be done sooner in families with a history and preventative physical therapy can be started.
Many back injuries if detected early enough can be prevented from developing further. Proper muscle toning and a good diet plan to keep weight in check can work wonders for some people. It can prevent or at least seriously delay surgery and if surgery is needed recovery time in people with good health is quicker.
The important thing with a back injury is seeking help as soon as you realize you have a problem. Some people (myself included) shrug it off as over exerting themselves or "just a pulled muscle" only to still be in pain 2 weeks later.
3 comments:
Hi there, thanks for participating in my blog!
This is an interesting blog.... At 10 years old i was diagnosed with Spondylolisthesis and was doing ok after phsyical therapy but years later at 21 worked at a preschool and a child injured me and ruptured 3 disks.... i also was diagnosed with spinal bifida occulta.... Does anybody else have these things? did the spondo result from my spinal biffida occulta maybe?? I'm 25 years old now living in constant pain... function semi-normally just with caution and lots of advil. So when i have kids they could have Spondo?? Wonder where i got it from.....interesting
Spondylolisthesis can indeed be genetic as can spondylolisis. It is however difficult for the doctors to tell whether it was inerited or induced.
You should really look in to a good pain management doc or clinic. The pain itself is not the worst thing, it is the loss of the quality of life and the chance of depression that accompanies chronic pain.
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