Ankylosing Spondylitis - am I making it worse by trying to do things and aggrivating it?

20 Nov 2009

If you do activities that aggravate it, then yes it will make it worse, but simple exercises can help improve posture and breathing.

http://www.drugs.com/enc/ankylosing-spondylitis.html

15 Oct 2010

This has always been my situation. If I start having a lot of pain I need to two one of two things go for a walk or rest and lay down. Only one is the right answer but I don't know what one it is. Typically with this condition the more mobile you are the better you get and feel. We are kind of the opposite of most aches out there. Common wisdom is to rest but for someone with AS that is usually the worst thing. It can be a visious cylce cause when you rest your mucles get weaker, you get fatter, and thus more pain. Enbrel saved my life but I started narcotics before that and now I have almost no pain but I am having to come off a terrible narcotic dependency. I had to have the narcotic cause with this condition you have to move or you get worse. Once you find what works and are on appropriate treatment (biologics) then you will feel better, I promise :)

1 Aug 2012

It's my understanding that activity is good for us, unless we are inflammed, then we need rest. Exercising inflammed joints causes damage. Right now, my sacroiliac joints are so inflammed the inflammation can be seen on regular x-rays, so I stay off my feet as much as possible. Have you had any scans or x-rays taken lately? What does your bloodwork say? I would discuss this with my RD before I began an exercise program that could cause more damage than help. God bless.