Ankylosis Spondylitis and Lower Back Pain

Ankylosing Spondylitis, or AS as it is referred to by those who have it, belongs to the class of rheumatoid or autoimmune diseases, which also includes rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. It is characterized by unusual bone growth, usually in the spine, hips or legs, and by constant inflammation of the cartilage pads in between the vertebrae and of the sacroiliac glands (which are where the pelvis, tailbone and spine all meet up). This constant inflammation, the result of the body confusing the area for a foreign item and attacking it, causes debilitating pain, lowered quality of life, and can lead to severe restrictions on work and play. 

Although some weblog and book account s have attributed a moving “phantom” pain to the disease, scientists at UCLA Medical Center disagree. The pain of AS may often radiate to other areas, causing, for instance, pain in the abdomen, lower chest, upper back, groin or legs, but the central symptom of the disease is the long-term pain of the lower back. As time goes on, however, the pain is replaced by something far more disturbing: bone growth and fusion. In extreme cases, AS patients are wheelchair bound with 70-80% of the spine fused and significant deterioration or fusion of the hips and pelvis.
The cause of the disease is not as yet known. Some scientists point to racial tendencies and indicate a recessive genetic link; indeed British medical examiners have traced a possible culprit down. Others believe that, like rheumatoid arthritis itself, the body for some reason has determined itself to be an enemy. There is roughly a 1 in 10 chance of a child of an AS sufferer contracting the disease. 

Symptoms and Diagnosis