Best Exercises to keep you Happy and Flexible .

 

           

My Diagnosis experience with Ankylosing Spondylitis

HI everyone. I am 21 and an engineering student from India. I am a patient of Ankylosing spondylitis from 5 years. I was 16 when i was diagonised with AS , and definitely its not an age where you can accept that you have something that would pain every second of your life and is not curable.That was the time when i was around 250 miles away from my parents and family ,living alone preparing for the toughest entrance exam for best engineering college in india. So,obviously no one was there to tell me that "dont worry ,everything is gonna be ok ". It took almost 2 years to diagnose it.My pain started with mild backache .As i had a medical history of rheumatic fever also so i thought it is just a pain as my body was very weak. But slowly the pain started to increase.In mornings it was on its high and then as day passed it eases a little.My motion became restricted because of my body.But still i wasnt diagnosed.The first thing that came to every doctors mind was that its a muscular pain No one could make out what was the problem but the pain was increasing with every passing day.So doctors tried to completely suppress the pain and gave me heavy doses of painkillers for 6 months and i became normal for few months without any pain ..But ones i suffered with dehydration and was admitted in hospital.After that incident my body started to loose all its strength and again i started to feel that pain but now it was unbearable.Again same story,doctors thought its a muscle pain.I did physiotherapy sessions for almost 6 months. But story was same everyday I woke up with immense pain every morning then my friends use to pick me up from my bed and take me to hospital for physiotherapy sessions.After the sessions, pain was almost nil but then as the day passed and evening was coming closer that pain was taking over again.I thought of trying some one else, So next i went to a neurologist but still no results except more painkillers.One of the physician even told me that i have slip disc and i was wondering how the hell i am walking then. Someone told me to consult acupuncturist because at that time it was just a muscular pain. I went there and that guy filled me up with lots of needles. Waoooohh that experience was awesome,i was feeling like superman. Behind all this i could see my dreams getting shattered slowly.All i could see and feel was pain and pain and pain.I couldn't sit for long neither attend long classes nor walk to my classes.One of the brightest student and top scorer was missing classes everyday and scoring lowest in his lifetime.I was crying with pain and getting anxious everyday to know what is the problem. And surely a thought of committing suicide at the age of 17 wasn't a good idea. It was a feeling that only a patient of AS can understand.When you are in your teens you see teenagers playing around you,becoming sports champ,hopping around with all that energy in them and all you can do is see them and feeling pity on yourself. But then i got lucky and i met a young physiotherapist.She took my sessions for a month and after seeing my pathetic condition with no positive result.She tried her best to get it diagnosed.Finally,our struggle ended up when i met a German orthopedic.After reading my medical history he told me that their is a possibility of a disease Ankylosing spondylitis.I had a blood test named HLA-B27,it came positive and then a MRI test .. Finally i had the name of the disease and it was Ankylosing spondylitis.After almost 2 years of agony at least i knew what happened to me.I thought its an end now and i will get cured. That is what everyone things,you get diagnosed and doctor cures you.but i had a lot for me in treasure box.It was like you desperately want to end your agony and when you get a smile on your face ,you suddenly realise its just a beginning.....

Finally i had a reason for many questions.. 

"WHY I CANT RUN"  

"WHY MY BELOVED SLEEP HAS TURNED INTO NIGHTMARE"

"WHY I DO NOT HAVE MY PILLOWS AROUND ME" 

"WHY INSTEAD OF TASTY SNACKS I WAS HAVING PAIN KILLERS IN MY BREAKFAST"

"WHY MY FOOTBALL GIVES ME PAIN WITH EVERY KICK".


If you have any experience to share then you  welcomed to share it here...

Causes of Ankylosing Spondylitis

HLA-B27

The cause of ankylosing spondylitis is not completely known. However, a particular gene has been identified that is closely linked to this condition. Research has shown that most people who have ankylosing spondylitis carry a gene known as human leukocyte antigen B27 (HLA-B27).Having HLA-B27 increase possibilty of having ankylosing spondylitis.
However, if you have the gene it does not necessarily mean that you will also have AS. Among people with ankylosing spondylitis 9 out of 10 suffer from HLA-B27.
It is estimated that 8 in 100 people in the general population have the HLA-B27 gene but do not suffer with AS.Testing for the this gene is not a very reliable method of diagnosing ankylosing spondylitis because some people can have the HLA-B27 gene but not have ankylosing spondylitis.

Family history

Ankylosing spondylitis can run in families, and the HLA-B27 gene can be inherited from family member.If you have a relative who is suffering with ankylosing spondylitis such as a parent,brother or sister, you are three times more likely to develop AS compared to someone who does not have a relative with AS.

Understanding your spine and lower back.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS), the whole spine is affected.The symptoms usually begin in the low back. To understand how ankylosing spondylitis can cause your spinal bones to fuse, you must have a basic knowledge of how your spine works.

 Your backbone, also called your vertebral column, support a lot of your body weight, and protects your spinal cord. As you can see from the image below spine, is made up of many parts. First, we're going to look at the spine structure.You have 33 vertebrae (bones) that constitutes the vertebral column.

                              

Your spine is divided into regions:
There's your neck (cervical spine), mid-back (thoracic), and low back (lumbar spine). At the bottom of your spine you have your tailbone. Again, AS generally starts in the lumbar spine and spreads way up to the cervical spine.

The vertebrae in your neck are labeled C1-C7, meaning that you have 7 vertebrae in that region.

Most adults have 12 vertebrae in the thoracic spine (T1-T12), which goes from your shoulders to your waist.Then there are 5 vertebrae in your low back (L1-L5).

In between your vertebrae, you have intervertebral discs (also labeled on the image). These act as pads or shock absorbers for your spine as it moves.

Together, the vertebrae and the discs provide a protective tunnel (the spinal canal) to house the spinal cord and spinal nerves. These nerves run down the center of the vertebrae and exit to various parts of the body, where they help you feel and move. With ankylosing spondylitis, your spinal nerves can be pinched (also known as impinged or compressed) by the extra bone that develops as a result of AS.

The joints are covered by cartilage that protects your bones as you move. In ankylosing spondylitis, the cartilage can be destroyed—inflammation and chemicals released by the inflammation can destroy it.

UNDERSTANDING LOWER BACK. 

The vertebrae are circular and between each vertebra is a disc. The discs are made of strong rubber-like tissue which allows the spine to be flexible.  There are also various muscles that are attached to the spine which enable the spine to bend and move in various ways. There are also small facet joints that help to attach vertebrae to each other. The sacrum is formed from five fused vertebrae that are joined together.Strong ligaments also attach between adjacent vertebrae to give extra support and strength to the spine. They form a triangular shaped structure. The two sacroiliac joints are the large long joints that join the sacrum to the ilium (the main bone of the pelvis).