All About Ankylosing Spondylitis, AxSpa, & Inflammatory Back Pain

Axial Spondyloarthritis or AxSpA is an inflammatory arthritis where back pain is the main symptom. AxSpA is an umbrella term that includes AS or Ankylosing Spondylitis as well as Non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis. Both can be crippling! We chat to Jack March, a Specialist Rheumatology Physio about his role in practice as an Advanced Level Physio at Nuffield health, alongside that he is also Project lead of The Physio Matters Podcast and has lectured extensively on Rheumatology and Inflammatory Back Pain In this episode, we will go over what to do if you think you have inflammatory back pain or AxSpA, tips if you have a diagnosis and some great resources to turn to for further information. KEY TAKEAWAYS Axial Spondyloarthritis is an umbrella term for a number of conditions where the ligaments attached to the bone become inflamed. In AxSpA the immune system loses the ability to tell those cells that connect the ligaments to the bone as being a part of you. It is an alteration of the immune system so for most people its managed through inducing remission. Next steps will usually be an anti-inflammatory medication and for many, this will be sufficient to control the symptoms With AxSpA there are very specific pattern it is a younger person’s condition with onset usually being under 45 although it may not be diagnosed for a number of years. Classic symptoms include spinal stiffness for a period usually in excess of an hour and pain and stiffness that wakes people in the night, only alleviated by loosening through movement. If you are diagnosed early and treated early the best outcomes are achieved. When medication and pain management are under control, key lifestyle factors are avoiding smoking, keeping active and healthy eating. It’s about regular exercise, whatever that is for the individual, you should be aiming to lift your heart rate for 150mins a week.   BEST MOMENTS ‘There is nothing wrong with the tissue it’s the inflammation that is causing the pain’ ‘Inflammation stimulates more inflammation so it’s about stopping the cycle’ ‘It’s not a consequence of any damage to the spine’ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Back Pain PodcastFree Sciatica guide: www.thebackpainpodcast.com  Rheumatology Physio NASS website ABOUT THE HOSTS Dave ElliotDave is the owner of Advanced Chiropractic, a chain of Chiropractic and massage therapy clinics in Essex, UK. Dave still sees patients during the week but has been working hard to talk to as many experts in the field of back pain as possible to help distil all the information and bring it to you in this awesome podcast. You can find Dave on any of the Advanced Chiropractic social media platforms, or you can contact him @ [email protected] if you have any questions for him.-Instagram   Rob BeavenRob owns and runs a multidisciplinary clinic, The Dyer St Clinic in Cirencester Gloucestershire. His team of Chiropractors, Physiotherapists, Osteopaths, Doctors and podiatrists all collaborate on thousands of back pain patients every year. Alongside Dave, he has worked hard to bring to the table experts across all industries to give you the low down on back pain, with steps you can implement today to start feeling better.-Instagram -Twitter CONTACT METHOD Instagram Twitter Facebook [email protected]  Support the show: https://thebackpainpodcast.com